Report and free highlights as Enda Stevens' thunderbolt opener is cancelled out
Saturday 22 February 2020 20:48, UK
Neal Maupay's first goal in two months quelled Sheffield United's top-four charge as Brighton earned a 1-1 draw at Bramall Lane.
Brighton trailed early on to Enda Stevens' powerful rising effort from a half-cleared corner after 26 minutes - his first goal on home soil since the Blades' promotion.
But their lead lasted only three minutes and nine seconds, before Maupay finally ended a goal drought stretching back to December 16 when he stooped to head home Adam Webster's flick-on from Aaron Mooy's long free-kick.
After the break, Oli McBurnie should have restored the hosts' lead when he scuffed wide from six yards before glancing David McGoldrick's cross at Mat Ryan, but Brighton's solid defensive performance was enough to earn them a second point on the road in as many games, and keep their hosts four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.
The announcement of John Fleck's contract extension ahead of kick-off gave Sheffield United an extra spring in their step and after a number of slow starts in recent games, they burst into life.
With less than three minutes gone Shane Duffy glanced Stevens' cross towards Billy Sharp, who volleyed wide of the far post with an eminently presentable chance.
The Blades kept up their front-foot possession while Brighton looked to batten down the hatches with a tall five-man defence. That height could do little to halt the hosts' opener, though, which arrived when Fleck's corner was cleared to Stevens, who rifled the ball into the top corner past a helpless Ryan.
But within four minutes United were pegged back as a well-worked free-kick levelled things up, with Mooy finding Webster on the far side of the box and his flick allowed Maupay to nod in, for his first goal in nine games.
McBurnie would be left wondering how he had not added his name to the scoresheet with a succession of chances after the break - first a sliding effort that found the gloves of Ryan, after Jack O'Connell had deflected Oliver Norwood's corner into his path.
He should also have done better when O'Connell again turned provider to find him in the six-yard box but this time scuffed his effort wide.
Blades substitute John Lundstram was perhaps fortunate to avoid further punishment when he caught Lewis Dunk on the knee after the defender had slid the ball away from him, with VAR deciding any serious foul play was inconclusive.
The chances kept coming, and with two minutes left McGoldrick's powerful cross was again glanced at Ryan by a sliding McBurnie, before Webster cleared the rebound under the nose of George Baldock.
But Brighton's backs-to-the-wall defending earned them a spirited point come the full-time whistle, to move them four away from the three teams in the relegation zone, who all play later in the weekend.
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder: "I'm so proud of my team, I thought we were absolutely magnificent. The different approach from them said a lot about how they viewed this game. They've got five or six big players and it's always going to be difficult to defend.
"I can nitpick that we didn't win the first or the second ball, but we were magnificent and went to the end. To get to 40 points at this stage is brilliant. But we'll keep going.
"The way we attacked the game from the off, the way we recovered from getting the equaliser, there was one team hanging on for a result and that shows what a performance we put in today."
Brighton boss Graham Potter: "Sheffield United have had a fantastic season. How they play is really effective and difficult to play against. It you're going to come here and not show those qualities you're going to come away with nothing.
"The resilience of the group is fine but we need to show a bit more quality with the ball. We acknowledge we can do better in certain areas, but it's another point for us, against a very good team."
O'Connell, Sheffield United's marauding centre half-cum-left winger, was part of a Blades defence rarely troubled by Brighton - but he was still required to take on five aerial battles, winning all of them, and having more touches than anyone else on the pitch.
That owed more to his secondary job as an overlapping defender and twice he came close to assists for the hosts, setting up McBurnie twice after half-time - and with better finishing from his forward colleague, he would have got both.
Sheffield United's next game is their FA Cup fifth round tie at Reading on March 3, at 7.45pm. Brighton travel to Crystal Palace on February 29 at 12.30pm.
