Sheffield United's winning streak was halted by a last-gasp sucker punch from Wolverhampton Wanderers. Raúl Jiménez struck in the 90th minute to secure a 1-0 victory for the visitors at Bramall Lane, a result that leaves Chris Wilder's side reflecting on a harsh lesson in game management.
The defeat ends a run of three consecutive Championship wins for the Blades, whose recent form had shown promise with victories over Blackburn and Bolton. They had gone into the match on the back of a 3W-1D-1L record from their last five outings.
A cagey contest
Sheffield United started with a back three of Mark McGuinness, Luke Kitching and Japhet Tanganga, with Hamza Choudhury and Sam McCallum operating as wing-backs. The hosts were forced into an early defensive reshuffle when McCallum was shown a yellow card for a foul after just two minutes.
Wolves, managed by César Peixoto, dominated possession throughout the first half but created few clear chances. The visitors' manager was himself booked for dissent midway through the half. The best opportunity before the break fell to Patrick Bamford, whose header was comfortably saved by José Sá.
Second-half changes
Wilder introduced Jordan Ayew and Thomas Cannon just after the hour mark in search of a breakthrough, replacing Ben Brereton and Kalvin Phillips. Wolves responded with a triple substitution of their own, bringing on Jordan James, Jiménez and Thomas Doyle.
The game appeared to be drifting towards a goalless draw as both sides made further changes. Wilder sent on Matt Doherty and Joe Rothwell for the final ten minutes, while Rhys Norrington-Davies replaced the cautioned McCallum.
Late drama
With the clock ticking into the final minute of normal time, Wolves won a corner. The delivery was only partially cleared to the edge of the box, where substitute Thomas Doyle controlled and slid a pass through to Jiménez. The experienced striker made no mistake, slotting past Marek Cooper to snatch all three points.
"It's a tough one to take," Wilder told reporters after the match. "We defended well for large parts and limited them, but you have to see games out. That's the fine margin at this level."
The result sees Sheffield United miss a chance to climb the table, with their next fixture a trip to face Norwich City on September 20. They will be without the sidelined quartet of Femi Seriki, Harrison Burrows, Ryan One and Tahith Chong for that match. Fans can check the full upcoming schedule on the club's fixtures page and view the latest injuries list.
