Chris Wilder had to accept his Sheffield United side were just short of the standard required to beat a Leeds United team he has always seen as the standard-bearers in this season’s Championship.
The Blades gave it a good try, rattling the league leaders with an explosive opening to the game, which was rewarded with an Illan Meslier own goal.
However, Junior Firpo equalised in the second half before Ao Tanaka and Joel Piroe scored late goals to condemn them to a 3-1 defeat.
“It was a tight game,” Wilder reflected. “Congrats to Dan (Farke) and his Leeds United team, they’re a top side so we had to produce a top performance and we just fell a bit short.” We began off strong, intending to make things difficult for them, and we deserved to be ahead.
“We lost some control near the end of the first half, but they’re top of the table for a reason, and they have some really good players.
“We mentioned before halftime that we might have to suffer a little here since they’re chasing. We lost control, but our approach was not antagonistic. However, they are pushing people forward. The equaliser is disappointing for us; perhaps we should stop crossing and do better with Firpo. But finding a left-back in the area demonstrates what they needed to do to get back into the game, and I believe we would have all agreed to a draw after roughly 89 minutes. To surrender the second goal from a set piece is really upsetting.”
The Blades lost initiative as the game progressed, while Wilder claimed it was simply due to the quality of the opposition.
“We’ve played on the front foot all season but sometimes you get pushed back by good players and good teams,” says Wilder. “I’m not going to be stupid enough to think I’ll have 70% possession. We were 3-1 at home, which is unheard of.
“The bookies set it up because of how Leeds United treats everyone else. They batted everyone else away, but not us. I don’t want any hard-luck stories in loss because we’re very upset we didn’t win.
“It was a close game, and sometimes close games are won by pivotal moments, and the momentum shifted in their favor. If we had been a little better in transition and counter-attack, when they were chucking players forward, we could have had a chance to score again. But you must accept it and be modest.”
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