Wilder’s men were brushed aside 3-0 by Southampton who dominated proceedings from start to finish.
The Saints dominated the ball in the first ten minutes, looking for long balls for the likes of Theo Walcott and Danny Ings to latch onto but to no avail. It was Jannik Vestergaard who was showing his passing ability with pinpoint passes to his teammates. This initial domination of the ball resulted in Hasenhuttl’s men boasting 72% possession
The first shot on target arrived when Che Adams played a sublime through ball into Ings’ path who failed to slot past Aaron Ramsdale who made himself big to deny the England international.
Shortly after, it was Vestergaard again who rose highest from another corner to head just past the far post.
It was that Adams-Ings connection yet again, with the former chipping the ball through only for Ings to be swarmed by multiple Sheffield defenders.
Sheffield United’s best moment came half an hour in when Enda Stevens sent an inviting ball into the box only for Sander Berge to steer wide.
Southampton took the lead 34 minutes in after a lapse of concentration from Blades defenders in the penalty area allowed Che Adams to ghost in and strike the ball into the ground past Aaron Ramsdale.
The breakthrough saw the leading team step up a gear with Stuart Armstrong driving from midfield only to see his attempted finish blocked at the last opportunity.
The remainder of the first half continued in the same fashion, Chris Wilder’s men unable to get any quality time on the ball and the Saints playing a patient style of football, waiting for an opportunity to score. The half ended with Southampton having ten attempts to Sheffield’s one.
Sheffield United started the second half with more impetus and drive than the first, venturing into the opposition penalty area more, gaining possession and progressing further up the pitch. The good start to the half resulted in John Egan rising to meet a great delivery from a corner, only to glance his header wayward of the goal.
Southampton slowly but surely reclaimed control of both possession and the game in general with Walcott, in particular, looking threatening down the wing.
Despite the Blades second half reinvigoration, the Saints took a 2-0 lead through Armstrong whose low shot took a wild deflection off of Jagielka’s bottom, deceiving Ramsdale and nestling in the bottom left corner.
Walcott being fouled on the edge of the area allowed Ward-Prowse to step and bend a delightful free-kick just over the bar, something football fans have come accustomed to seeing during this season.
Ramsdale was forced into a magnificent save after a defensive error from Jagielka saw Ings in a one on one opportunity but the England under-21 goalkeeper spread himself well to keep the score at 2-0.
Although heavily involved in the game, Danny Ings looked rusty when it came to decision making and his touch let him down several times. A return from injury is the most probable cause for this surprisingly subpar performance.
The scoreline went from bad to worse for the Blades when substitute Nathan Redmond used his fresh legs to play an intricate one-two with Oriol Romeu and finish neatly into the bottom right corner.
The game ended with Sheffield producing zero shots on target and being limited to 33% possession which has been the story of their season so far.
The Blades look set for relegation after picking up a single point, a third of the way through the season unless drastic improvement is found sooner rather than later.
Line-ups
Southampton (4-4-2):
McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Vestergaard, Bertrand, Armstrong, Ward-Prowse, Romeu (Diallo 87’), Walcott (Redmond 79’), Adams (Nlundulu 84’), Ings
Sheffield United (3-5-2):
Ramsdale; Basham (Mousset 70’), Egan, Jagielka, Stevens, Baldock, Berge, Fleck, Ampadu, McBurnie (McGoldrick 48’), Sharp (Brewster 60’)
