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2023/24 English Premier League
Matchday 9
Sheffield United v Manchester United
Bramall Lane
Sheffield, England
Saturday, 21 October 2023
Kick-off is at 21h00
Manchester United will be targeting back-to-back wins in the
Premier League for the first time this season when they travel to Bramall Lane for a clash with Sheffield United on Saturday, October 21 in the late kick-off.
The Red Devils have been generally poor in their opening eight matches, although a spate on injuries, particularly in defence, hardly helped their cause.
Erik ten Hag's side looked on course to lose for the fourth time in five games before Scott McTominay scored twice in stoppage time to clinch a dramatic 2-1 win against Brentford prior to the international break.
It was only their fourth victory of the campaign and lifted United up to 10th place, eight points off the pace in the title race.
The Blades have found the going tougher still, picking up just one point since earning promotion as runners-up to Burnley in the Championship.
Losing their top scorer, Iliman Ndiaye, who was sold to Marseille in the off-season, certainly hasn't helped matters as Paul Heckingbottom's side have only found the back of the net six times in eight matches.
The South Yorkshire outfit have lost four on the spin following their 2-2 draw with Everton and went into the international break three points adrift of safety at the foot of the table.
A third successive defeat for Bournemouth left them just two points better off in 19th position, while the Clarets occupy 18th spot after losing for the sixth time in eight outings.
Gustavo Hamer has been one of the bright sparks for Sheffield United since his arrival from Coventry City in August, scoring on his debut against Nottingham Forest. The Dutch defensive midfielder has an eye for goal and also found the back of the net at Tottenham before going on to earn his sixth start in the 3-1 defeat to Fulham last time out.
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Christian Eriksen will be pushing for a recall to the starting line-up after catching the eye when he replaced Casemiro at half-time against former employers Brentford. The Danish star, who has made seven league appearances this term, could play alongside Sofyan Amrabat in a two-man pivot in central midfield as Casemiro has looked increasingly off the pace for United.
Heckingbottom insists the Blades can have no qualms about their position in the standings, but has urged his players to learn from their mistakes in a bid to turn things around.
"It (the performance at Craven Cottage) shows we've still got a naivety at this level. That's probably the difference, the speed of thought in transition," he said.
"You get what you deserve and we're where we deserve to be. At the minute the things that can go against us are going against us. But we have to roll with it. We're the only ones who can get ourselves out of it."
Ten Hag is hoping the dramatic victory over the Bees will mark a turning point in United's season and praised his players for sticking to the plan.
"This must be the turning point," the Dutchman said. "This reflects our season so far from the start of a game. It has to be that you believe and you see the fans believe: they are sticking together, they are behind us and they kept us going.
"But then we have a plan and that is the big compliment for the team. They kept the plan. They kept switching. And from there on in the right moment, you bring the ball in the box.
"And of course we had to make and bring more players in the box. And I think that's what we did the last 30 minutes and then you get rewarded in the end."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
Sheffield United - 1
Man United - 4
Draws - 0
Premier League Matchday 9 fixtures:
Saturday, October 21
13h30: Liverpool v Everton
16h00: Bournemouth v Wolverhampton Wanderers
16h00: Brentford v Burnley
16h00: Manchester City v Brighton & Hove Albion
16h00: Newcastle United v Crystal Palace
16h00: Nottingham Forest v Luton Town
18h30: Chelsea v Arsenal
21h00: Sheffield United v Manchester United
Sunday, October 22
17h30: Aston Villa v West Ham United
Monday, October 23
21h00: Tottenham Hotspur v Fulham
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