On April 18, Wolverhampton’s Willian Jose sealed a 1-0 victory against Sheffield United at Molineux. While a triumph for the Wolves, it was also the inevitable end for the Blades in the Premier League.
After the Blades’ comeback in the top flight in 2019 after 12 years, it didn’t take too long for them to be relegated, leaving six fixtures. They had a very poor start in the 2020-21 season, breaking a PL record of the most number of consecutive losses to start the season.
The dismal fate of the Blades was a huge record for Jose, making it one of the hottest and most celebrated Sportsbet.io football news. It was his first Wolves and PL goal after the video assistant referee (VAR) dismissed his score on April 9 against Fulham. As for the entire team, they are still sitting in the second half of league rankings.
They could have better chances to prevail in their recent matches had the star players were present in the lineup. All the same, their performance was impressive. From excellent saves to powerful angle shots, they quickly dismissed Blades’ attempts and responses.
Lineups
Wolves only needed two subs, whereas Sheffield optimized their chances three times.
Wolves
- Rui Patricio
- Romain Saïss
- Conor Coady
- Willy Boly
- Nelson Semedo
- Leander Dendoncker
- João Moutinho
- Rayan Aït-Nouri
- Adama Traoré
- Daniel Podence — received a yellow card and sub to Vitor Ferreira
- William Jose — scored and sub to Fabio Silva
Sheffield United
- David McGoldrick
- Rhian Brewster — received a yellow card and sub to Oliver Burke
- Ben Osborn — sub to Lys Mousset
- Enda Stevens — received a yellow card
- John Fleck
- Oliver Norwood
- George Baldock
- Kean Bryan
- John Egan
- Ethan Ampadu — sub to Jayden Bogle
- Aaron Ramsdale
1-0: Close fight
The Blades didn’t go down without a good fight, and the game stats can prove it. They had a slightly higher number of passes and possession percentage, resulting in a total deadlock in the first half. Thanks to Traoré’s fizzing low cross into the six-yard box, Jose ended the impasse and started the second half with a goal.
The Blades did their best to delay their fated demotion. They quickly and sharply worked down the left with Stevens positioned on the edge of the box. Sadly, his close effort was denied by Patricio’s fingertip save over the bar.
Wolves’ next head coach: Search for Nuno’s successor
Despite the relegation and awkward PL record set by Sheffield United, interim manager Paul Heckingbottom remains positive.
‘It’s about results. The only thing we could control was the performance, and we had to go out with our heads held high’, he said. ‘Nobody could fault the players’ effort; we’ve had decent performances and decent moments. We should have definitely got something out of this game, but I guess that typifies our season. This hasn’t been through a lack of effort; we’ve got an honest group of players who gave everything tonight’.
Wolves head coach Nuno Espirito Santo commended Sheffield’s overall display in the entire season. While victorious on April 18, he didn’t overlook their loss in their first match.
‘They are a very good team; I have a huge admiration and respect for their group of players’, he noted. ‘We faced them in the Championship, and we faced them in the Premier League. I am sure they will bounce back’.
Nuno has been at Molineux since 2017. Now, the club is preparing a future without the Portuguese boss, who has decided to leave this year. The Wolves have eyed three potential replacements, namely, Vitor Pereira, Rui Faria, and Bruno Lage. Sportsbet.io football news and other news sites are keeping an eye on this and their run next season.
The decision might be soon as all three of them are currently out of work. However, it will certainly be a challenging one, given that they have connections with sports agent Jorge Mendes. He is closely aligned with both the team and Santo.
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