A cagey affair at Bramall Lane could have seen the points go either way, before Wolves’ Mexican striker came off the bench to tap home at the back post.
The hosts started off the brighter of the two sides, but failed to create any clear-cut chances. The visitors bided their time and were rewarded with their fast big chance of the game as Rodrigo Gomes streamed into the box. Blades defender Liam Kitching was awake to put in a last ditch sliding challenge and keep the score level.
United started brightly in the second half, as Sam McCallum raced into the final third and pulled the ball back for Sydie Peck. It was a big chance squandered for the home side as his shot was low and lacking power, making it easy for José Sá in the Wolves goal.
The pace of the game really started to pick up with both sides starting to create more chances. Wolves saw a penalty shout for handball waved away by referee Rob Jones, even with Mateus Mané convinced his cross had been blocked by the hand of Mark McGuinness.
The home side were able to progress up the pitch, but were just unable to find the perfect final ball. Chris Wilder brought on experienced striker Jordan Ayew for his debut who started energetically, with his effort going slightly wide of the post.
Hamza Choudhury showed impressive skill on the right wing to find striker Tom Cannon in the opposition box. Cannon elected to pass rather than shoot, which saw a huge chance wasted for the Blades.
Either side could have nicked it in the final ten minutes, creating an exciting end to end spectacle. It was Wolves who conjured up a moment of magic however, as Tommy Doyle’s mistimed shot found its way to Raúl Jiménez who gratefully poked the ball home to send the sea of gold behind the goal into raptures.
The Blades were given 5 minutes to look for an equaliser but failed to create anything meaningful in that short amount of time
Blades manager Chris Wilder was predictably disappointed in his post match press conference, making his frustrations about the team’s busy schedule clear. Wolves boss César Peixoto had nothing but praise for his goalscorer saying he: ‘shows strong character as a captain’.
The victory for the away side sees them rise to seventh in the Championship before hosting black country rivals West Brom at the weekend. Meanwhile the Blades miss the opportunity to race into the playoff places before they travel to an in-form Stoke side on Saturday.
Image credits – Sheffield United FC’s Facebook page
