Sheffield United Boss Makes Honest Remark Regarding Refs as Blades Suffer Late Loss
Sheffield United suffered a devastating 3-2 defeat against Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Wednesday evening, with Chris Wilder’s side forced to play the majority of the contest with ten men after Hamza Choudhury’s dismissal.
The Blades looked on course to rescue an unlikely point after fighting back from two goals behind, with Japhet Tanganga and Tom Cannon scoring in the second half to bring United level. However, a late strike from Portsmouth’s Ebou Adams in the 89th minute condemned the visitors to another frustrating result.
Wilder was left furious with several refereeing decisions after the final whistle, questioning the quality of officials in the Championship and claiming his side had been hard done by.
United started brightly at Fratton Park and had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the 22nd minute. Sydie Peck delivered a dangerous ball into the penalty area, but Patrick Bamford could not make the most of the opportunity, sending his close-range effort over the crossbar when he should arguably have tested the goalkeeper.
Portsmouth threatened at the other end when Sam McCallum’s loose pass presented Adrian Segecic with an opportunity to make the visitors pay. The forward attempted to bend the ball towards goal from outside the penalty area but failed to find the target.
Despite Sheffield United becoming increasingly competitive, the hosts broke the deadlock four minutes before half-time through a moment of individual brilliance.
Peck’s attempted clearance did not travel far enough, allowing Swanson to collect possession on the left-hand side. The Portsmouth defender shifted the ball onto his right foot before unleashing a superb strike that flew into the top corner, leaving Michael Cooper with little chance of making a save.
United’s task became considerably more difficult moments later when Choudhury received a second yellow card following a coming together with Kavuma-McQueen as the Portsmouth attacker advanced into the visitors’ half.
Portsmouth capitalised on their advantage nine minutes into the second half, doubling their lead in the 54th minute. Kavuma-McQueen got the better of Chong before delivering a dangerous ball towards the near post, where Segecic made contact from close range and diverted the ball into the roof of the net.
At 2-0 down and with ten men, Sheffield United appeared to be heading towards a damaging defeat. However, the Blades refused to surrender and produced an impressive response that briefly threatened to turn the contest on its head.
Their persistence paid off as the hour mark approached. Following a partially cleared corner, Chong recovered possession and sent the ball back into the danger area. Tanganga reacted brilliantly, sweeping the ball home to reduce the deficit and give the travelling supporters renewed hope.
Remarkably, United were level just seven minutes later. Phillips delivered a corner into the penalty area, and Cannon got across his marker to glance a header beyond the goalkeeper and into the net.
However, their resistance was finally broken in the 89th minute. Segecic delivered a cross into the penalty area, and Adams attempted to connect with a volley as it stabbed into the ground and flew into the top left corner.
Chris Wilder Fumes at Refereeing Decisions After Defeat
Wilder did not hide his frustration when speaking to SUTV after the final whistle, questioning the standard of refereeing and suggesting Sheffield United had been on the wrong end of several decisions.
“There were a number of decisions that incredibly frustrated me,” he said. “I just think where are the young up and coming referees that should be refereeing in the Championship instead of the ones that just survive.
“They keep surviving and no doubt we’ll have another survivor on Saturday, where’s the quality?”
The Blades boss also highlighted the team’s attacking threat and praised the players for their response after going two goals behind. “We feel a bit hard done by tonight and we were a threat, three goals in the last three games come from 25 to 30 yards and there was nothing Michael could do,” Wilder added.
“The attitude of the team late on was so good and they fought for each other like mad, it’s a tough one to take.”
Wilder was particularly unhappy with Choudhury’s dismissal, questioning where the midfielder was expected to go during the incident involving Kavuma-McQueen.
“Where is Choudhury meant to go? There were a number of decisions which were incredibly frustrating,” he said.
Blades Boss Points to Bigger Issue With Refs
The United manager also pointed to what he viewed as a wider issue with officiating, claiming three players had been sent off across the last two games refereed by the official in question.
He subsequently questioned the pathway for younger referees to reach the Championship, arguing that officials were progressing through the divisions without sufficient competition for their positions.
“I like Simon Hooper, but he has gone from bang to the Football League, through League Two, League One, Championship and into the Premier League. There is just a surviving group of referees that are doing that,” Wilder said.
“It is a tough one for the players, but there is more frustration and anger towards somebody. We have to deal with it.”
While it is a deeply frustrating result, Sheffield United must find a way to channel this emotion and energy and use it to their advantage when they face Bristol City at Ashton Gate on Saturday afternoon.
