Struggling Sheffield United look to earn their first league victory of the season in a clash with a hot and cold West Ham side at Bramall Lane in the Premier League.
I will be reporting all the action as it happens.
Here are the blades starting eleven. Record signing Rhian Brewster is still yet to start or score for Sheffield as the blades look to Ollie McBurnie to provide goals after his wonderful run with Scotland, which gained them European qualification, during the week.
The Hammers once again have an unchanged line-up with Michial Antonio still out with a short term injury and Yarmelenko unavailable due to Covid-19.
All eyes will be on Sebastian Haller after his struggle to get off the mark in the Premier league for this season but perhaps West Ham could look to other areas of the pitch for goals, both Declan Rice and Thomas Soucek scored on international duty last week
If you dont watch the Premier League a lot you would think West Ham to be firm favourites here but that simply isnt the case.
West Ham always seem to struggle against the lower quality sides in the league shown in their last gasp win against Fulham last week.
Embed from Getty ImagesSheffield are on a horrendous run at the moment, they haven’t won all season and have scored just three goals. They were battered by Chelsea last week but will definitely feel as though they can win this one.
Embed from Getty ImagesI reckon this will be an incredibly tight affair, one which could be separated by just one goal.
Kick off is only minutes away
Kick-off
00′ We are underway at Bramall Lane
03′ IT WAS ALMOST THE DREAM START
John Egan sends a beautiful looping ball towards George Baldock who lashes a shot at Lukasz Fabianski but the Polish keeper gets down well to deny Sheffield United their perfect start.
Embed from Getty Images09′ Sheffield United are having the better of the game at the moment, West Ham are getting stretched by the blade’s use of the wings and cant seem to utilise the wide spaces themselves which is their main focus of attack.
14′ David Moyes has never won at Bramall lane but can he get the better of Chris Wilder today?
Embed from Getty Images19′ It was always going to be a tight contest, both teams are really struggling to get some rhythm going here. We haven’t had a shot since Balcdock’s early effort
24′ That’s another warning for the Hammers. West Ham committed way too many bodies forward and were almost made to pay for it, McBurnie caught the ball well but it was straight at Fabainski who once again denies the blades.
28′ BRILLIANT SAVE
Its West Ham’s first chance of the game as a well worked passage of play sees Jarrod Bowen lay the ball to Vladamir Coufal who drills the ball low but Aaron Ramsdale makes a very good save, the ball could have come out to anyone but luckily for the blades it was a white and red jersey who received it, that’s more like it from the hammers.
33′ HE REALLY SHOULD HAVE SCORED
Its almost another goal for the Czech international. A sweeping cross was headed down beautifully by Haller to Soucek who takes it down well. He tries to place the ball into the net, goal gaping, but drags it wide. Should be the first goal of the game.
Embed from Getty Images38′ After a bright start from Sheffield they look on the back foot coming into the closing stages of the first-half. West Ham looking the more likely to score at the moment.
40′ COMMENTATORS CURSE
Just as I say that McBurnie looks to prove me wrong after leaping high above the claret and blue shirts to get on the end of a terrific cross but his header is saved well by Fabianski to earn the corner.
42′ THEY’VE HIT THE WOODWORK
The resulting corner finds its way to McGoldrick who flicks the ball just onto the post creating a goalmouth scramble but the flag is up and West Ham are off the hook for the moment.
Embed from Getty Images45′ Half-time
What an end to the first-half, it was chance after chance for both sides but the game remains goalless.
Talking points
Both teams have had some good spells in the game with McBurnie coming close on a number of occasions and Soucek squandering that glorious opportunity in front of goal.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt’s interesting to see the battle down the flanks as that’s were most of the chances have been created in the game due to both sides opting for a three-four-three formation.
I don’t see many goals in this one, in fact the first goal may be the winning one.
Sheffield should certainly look to bring Brewster into the game off the bench and West Ham also have attacking option’s such as summer signing Benrahma who got the asssit for Soucek’s goal last week.
The second half is on the way.
Second-half
45′ We return to the action at Bramall lane
48′ Lovely interchanging play by Sheffield, just missing that last bit of quality to create a decent chance.
52′ RAMSDALE TO THE RESCUE
Rice dinks a sumptuous ball to Haller who takes the ball down well and almost pokes the ball home Ramsdale smothers the ball well to keep the score goalless
Embed from Getty Images56′ GOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLL (West Ham) WHAT A STRIKE
West Ham work the ball well from midfield from Ramsdales long punt after being put under no pressure from Sheffield. Pablo Fornal’s shot is blocked and the loose ball finds its way to Haller on the edge of the box who thunders the ball home. Ramsdale gets a hand to it, maybe he should have saved it, but the hammers wont care. Brilliant finish.
61′ It was a two-on-two situation and Fornals makes the wrong pass opting to feed the ball to Bowen who almost wriggles through the United defence to get a shot away instead of passing to Haller who was in acres of space.
62′ Looks to be more of a forced change than a tactical one from Wilder but Sheffield make the first substitution of the game
64′ The side desperate for goals look to record signing Brewster to produce them as he replaces Ollie Norwood
69′ IT COULD AND SHOULD BE HIS SECOND
Arthur Masuaku makes a darting run in behind the Sheffield defence drilling the ball across the goal to goal scorer Haller who couldn’t control his shot from just five-yards out. Huge let off for Sheffield.
Will West Ham live to regret that?
73′ UNLUCKY, THEY’VE HIT THE WOODWORK
A corner for West Ham sees Rice muscle his way to the front of the queue earning a free header in the five-yard box but it rattles off the bar, he looks devastated not to put that one away.
74′ UNBELIEVABLE, IT SHOULD BE LEVEL
unbelievable
Just moments after West Ham hit the bar Sheffield follow suit after Brewster finds McBurnie in behind the West Ham ranks. McBurnie fires the ball towards the top corner but it cannons off the underside of the bar. Not the first shot McBurnie has missed today.
What an ending we could see at Bramall lane.
75′ A final throw of the dice from Chris Wilder, can they get back level in this game?
76′ Its a like-for-like change here as Fornals makes way or Manuel Lanzini, Moyes certainly sensing he may need a second goal to get his side the win.
80′ West Ham refuse to take their foot off the gas as Bowen, Haller and Lanzini’s shots are all heroically blocked by the slowly caving Sheffield defence.
85′ Believe me this game is far from over, West Ham have a tendency to concede late goals. In fact last season they had the most points dropped from winning positions. We could be in for a dramatic finish here.
90′ There will be three-minutes of stoppage time, West Ham look to sit back and preserve their lead. Will there be late drama at Bramall Lane.
90+1′ Mark Noble makes his five-hundred-and-seventh appearance for the hammers as he replaces Bowen to close out the last few minutes.
90+3 FULL TIME: SHEFFIELD UNITED 0-1 WEST HAM
Haller’s Hammer blow was enough to get West Ham another win on the road, they go up to eighth place handing them their best ever start to a Premier League season since 2016.
Sheffield United on the other hand suffer another defeat and another game without a victory or a goal despite McBurnie coming very close on an number of occasions. They now have the second most games without a victory (eight) sine the start of a season ever. Even more pressure now builds on their visit to the hawthorns next week.
That’s all from me, hope you enjoyed the game
Player ratings
SHEFFILED UNITED
Ramsdale: 6
Basham: 4
Egan: 4
Ampadu: 5
Baldock: 5
Berge: 5
Norwood: 4
Fleck: 5
Lowe: 4
McBurnie: 6
McGoldrick: 6
Robinson: 4
Brewster: 5
Lundstram: 5
WEST HAM
Fabainski: 6
Cresswell: 6
Ogbonna: 8
Balbeuna: 5
Masuaku: 6
Soucek: 5
Rice: 6
Coufal: 6
Fornals: 6
Haller: 7
Bowen: 6
Lanzini: 5
Noble: 5
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