Sheffield United vs Fulham. Premier League.
Bramall LaneAttendance30,010.
Report and free match highlights as Fulham came back to claim a 3-3 draw at Sheffield United in a thrilling encounter; two Ben Brereton Diaz goals and an Oli McBurnie strike put hosts in control; Joao Palhinha and Bobby Decordova-Reid pegged back Blades before Rodrigo Muniz scored stunner
Saturday 30 March 2024 19:12, UK
Rodrigo Muniz produced a stunning injury-time bicycle kick to earn Fulham a thrilling 3-3 draw as Sheffield United missed the chance to earn a vital Premier League win.
Returning from the international break, the Blades faced a stark reality - overturn an eight-point gap and the worst goal difference in the league in their final 10 matches or face an immediate return to the Championship.
Chris Wilder's side were well on their way to reducing that deficit after two Ben Brereton Diaz goals and another from Oli McBurnie.
But, after Joao Palhinha's header, Bobby Decordova-Reid reduced the deficit to just one goal with a rasping strike from the edge of the box.
The Blades began to drop closer towards their own goal as full-time neared and they were punished by Muniz's brilliant strike in the third of a remarkable 14 minutes of added time.
The result leaves United seven points from safety and, having been so close to just their fourth win of the season, Wilder faces a tough job to rouse his side for Thursday's daunting trip to Anfield.
If Sheffield United do succumb to relegation, they may look back on the past two weeks as the period in which they blew their lingering hopes of survival.
After entering March’s break on the back of throwing away a two-goal lead at Bournemouth, they repeated the trick against Fulham in even more heartbreaking fashion.
If they had held onto victory in those two fixtures, Wilder’s outfit would be just three points from safety, albeit the deficit is essentially four given their horrendous goal difference. Instead, they remain rooted to the foot of the table.
The first half at Bramall Lane gave no indication of what was to come, with Ivo Grbic producing a sharp save to tip Muniz’s poked effort onto the post in the only incident of note.
But the second half was one of the most dramatic of the season, starting with Muniz again striking the post with a looping header.
Fulham’s opener felt like a matter of time - until Tosin Adarabioyo lost the ball in his own half, allowing McBurnie to cross for Brereton Diaz to tap in the opener.
Palhinha levelled from a corner four minutes later after some wretched Blades defending, before Brereton Diaz returned the favour for his strike partner, firing in a low cross for McBurnie to restore their side’s lead.
Brereton Diaz then bundled in Gustavo Hamer’s deep cross just two minutes later, with the goal surviving a VAR check for handball, while there was also a review for violent conduct after the forward, McBurnie and Bernd Leno all clashed in the aftermath.
United thought they had secured the points when McBurnie poked in his second after more dreadful Fulham defending, but the goal was rightly disallowed for offside against Vinicius Souza.
Moments later, Decordova-Reid fired in from the edge of the area to spark nervousness among the hosts - and their worst fears were realised when Muniz produced a moment of magic.
Sky Sports' Joe Shread:
The good news for Sheffield United is that Chris Wilder appears to have finally found an attacking set-up that works.
After trialling Will Osula, James McAtee and Rhian Brewster in attacking roles - to little success - Oli McBurnie and Ben Brereton Diaz are forming an effective strike partnership.
The powerful duo allow the Blades to be more direct. United attempted 75 long passes - their most of the season - at Bournemouth last time out and totalled nearly 50 against Fulham.
That McBurnie and Brereton Diaz both claimed assists to go with their goals shows how much they troubled Fulham's back four.
But the bad news for United is that time may be running out. With just nine games to play, they are seven points from safety. Opta still rate their chances of escaping relegation at less than two per cent.
Too little, too late.
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder told Sky Sports: "It had everything.
"We had to make sure we had a foothold in the game and we had been out of the game at half-time in the last four home games, so were happy to get off to a good start against a really good team on a good run.
"We were the better team in the period where we scored. We got ourselves in front but conceded some poor goals yet again, which is typical of where we are.
"To score two goals at Bournemouth and draw, and three today and only come away with a draw is a disappointing aspect.
"The goal that was disallowed, that would've taken us to 4-1 and that was a crucial moment. If we had got that goal, we would've gone on to win but we conceded straight away and all the momentum went Fulham's way.
"The ammunition Marco [Silva] has at his disposal, they are players that can impact the game, but because of the injuries and the strength of the squads, we weren't able to do that.
"When you go to 3-3, and you have to suffer the disappointment of being pegged back, and everyone thought there was going to be only one winner, so credit to our players for hanging in there."
Sky Sports' Joe Shread:
Spare a thought for Armando Broja. After an underwhelming first half of the season, the Chelsea striker joined Fulham on loan in January in search of form and fitness.
The pathway seemed clear, with Fulham's strikers having a combined total of just five Premier League goals before Broja's arrival - all scored by Raul Jimenez.
But Broja can't have envisioned Rodrigo Muniz's remarkable transformation. Before the Albania international moved to Craven Cottage, Muniz had never scored a Premier League goal.
Nothing Muniz had done previously hinted at his rise. Last season, he scored twice for Middlesbrough in the Championship.
But since February, no player has scored more Premier League goals than the 22-year-old's eight.
Against Sheffield United, he showed perfectly why he is currently one of the most-feared strikers in the top flight, twice striking the post before producing an exquisite piece of skill to claim a point - just when his team needed it.
Meanwhile, Broja's wait for his first Fulham start goes on. In truth, he can have no complaints.
Fulham head coach Marco Silva said: "I have to say it was an exciting game for the people who were here, but I have to be honest, it was a disappointing result for us.
"When you are dominant from the first minute like we were, the team who created more clear chances to win the game, it is disappointing.
"Of course the reaction as a team, it was fantastic. We refused to lose this game because of the way we dominated.
"We showed the quality to come back from 3-1, scoring two great goals and creating more chances even to win the game in the last minutes."
Sheffield United now face two 'big-six' teams back-to-back, travelling to Anfield to face Liverpool on Thursday night, kick-off at 7.30pm. The Blades then host Chelsea at Bramall Lane a week on Sunday, kick-off at 5.30pm.
Fulham travel to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night, kick-off at 7.30pm - before hosting Newcastle at Craven Cottage next Saturday, kick-off at 3pm.
