Sheffield United 3-0 Lincoln City: Bamford Gets Brace in Clinical Blades Performance
Sheffield United showed their clinical instincts on Saturday afternoon at Bramall Lane as they beat Lincoln City 3‐0.
Patrick Bamford got the scoring underway late in the first half when he expertly guided a low Sam McCallum cross into the bottom right corner. Tahith Chong doubled their advantage in the second half when he managed to squeeze the ball beyond the visiting keeper in front of the Kop. Bamford got his brace in emphatic style, a cross was fizzed in from the right and the experienced striker connected perfectly with a right-footed volley which rippled the back of the net.
Lineups
Blades: Cooper, McCallum, Tanganga, Rothwell (Riedewald 84), Choudhury (McGuinnes 73), Cannon (Campbell 84), Kitching, Chong (Donovan 78), Brereton Diaz (Oné 78), Peck, Bamford.
Unused: Davies, Arblaster, Ayew, Burrows.
Lincoln: Wickens, Reach (Elder 78), Towler (Ogbene 62), Bayliss, McGrandles (Konak 62), Bradley, Jefferies (Hamer 78), Street, House, Elerewe, Draper (Ladefoged 62).
Unused: Gauci, Olaofe, Varfolomeev, Oyegoke.
First Half
The visitors registered the first effort on goal in the second minute when Dom Jefferies picked out Conor McGrandles on the edge of the penalty area. The midfielder attempted to find the bottom-right corner with a low strike, but Michael Cooper was not troubled.
Lincoln continued to show promise going forward during the opening 20 minutes, with Rob Street seeing an effort blocked behind after Sam McCallum slipped at a crucial moment.
Adam Reach then tested Cooper with a powerful free-kick, although the Sheffield United goalkeeper was equal to the task.
The Imps subsequently missed a golden opportunity to take the lead in the 21st minute. Street reacted quickly to a poor clearance before nodding the ball across the penalty area towards Draper, who could only send his header narrowly over the crossbar from just a couple of yards out.
United gradually began to find their rhythm, with Joe Rothwell going close to breaking the deadlock in the 27th minute when his effort from distance drifted narrowly wide.
Ben Brereton Diaz also tried his luck from approximately 25 yards as the hosts looked to make their growing influence count.
The Blades eventually found the breakthrough just two minutes before the interval.
Following a sustained spell of possession, McCallum delivered a low cross into the penalty area, where Patrick Bamford demonstrated his quality with an excellent first time finish to send the ball into the back of the net.
Second Half
Early in the second half Rothwell produced an excellently weighted pass into the path of Tahith Chong, who made no mistake despite having a difficult angle to contend with.
Lincoln continued to search for a route back into the contest, but the hosts remained dangerous going forward and eventually added a third goal in the 77th minute.
Brereton Diaz delivered a ball into the penalty area from the right-hand side, allowing Bamford to showcase his technical ability once again. The striker met the delivery with a superb volley, directing the ball into the far right corner in front of the Kop.
Lincoln continued to push in search of a consolation goal during the closing stages.
Their best opportunity to get on the scoresheet arrived in the 88th minute when Callum Elder collected a ball down the left flank before cutting it back into the centre for Mikkel Ladefoged.
The Danish forward looked well placed to finish, but Cooper produced a smart save to preserve Sheffield United’s clean sheet.
