Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has said he is proud of his boys for going toe-to-toe with Jurgen Klopp’s incredible Liverpool in their Premier League meeting on Thursday (April 4). According to Wilder, Andrew Robertson’s introduction in the second half gave the Reds a leg-up as they claimed a 3-1 victory.
Liverpool Claim Important Premier League Win Over Sheffield United
Premier League aspirants Liverpool welcomed bottom-placed Sheffield United to Anfield for their Premier League Matchday 30 meeting on Thursday night. With Arsenal and Manchester City winning their respective Gameweek 30 fixtures, the Merseysiders needed a solid victory to return to the top of the table.
Darwin Nunez gave the hosts a strong start, firing them in front in the 17th minute. However, the underdogs refused to roll over. Despite their best efforts, Klopp’s men could not double their money in the first half and went into the tunnel leading by the narrowest of margins. Sheffield restored parity through a Conor Bradley own goal in the second half, setting up a tense finale. After creating some chances, Liverpool went in front in the 76th minute, courtesy of a stellar outside-the-box strike from Alexis Mac Allister. In the 90th minute, Cody Gakpo put the game to bed by heading in Robertson’s inch-perfect delivery from the left.
Chris Wilder Proud Of His Team’s Effort, Notes Andy Robertson’s Impact
Speaking to the press after the game, Sheffield United manager Wilder hailed Liverpool’s quality, noting the impact Robertson made coming off the bench in the 60th minute.
He said (via Liverpool ECHO):
“Playing at Anfield in front of 60,000 going into the last ten games of the season, it doesn’t come more difficult for anyone, especially Sheffield United and the gulf between the two clubs. I just think the physical aspect of the game in the Premier League now has taken an incredible step forward.
“Robertson coming on the pitch, the power and the pace of the Premier League, that’s been our Achilles heel all season. And yet again Liverpool are finding goals late on and we’re struggling to hang on in there; recovery runs late on, you’ve seen our players cramping up and struggling to get back on.”
Wilder lauded Liverpool further, calling them “world-class operators”.
“I’ve seen teams been absolutely dismantled here. I came here and watched Liverpool vs Roma a few years ago and they absolutely dismantled them. They can take anybody to the cleaners. We understand that,” he added.
“[In the] second half against Manchester City, they’re just world-class operators and a manager and a crowd that’s absolutely united and together in terms of trying to achieve what they want to achieve, which is a Premier League title in his final year.”
Now two points clear at the top of the table, Liverpool will look to extend their winning run when they travel to Old Trafford for their Premier League appointment with Manchester United on Sunday (April 7).
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