Jairo Riedewald and Tom Cannon struck early in the second half as Sheffield United earned a 2-1 victory over Stoke City at the bet365 Stadium, a result that nudges the Blades seven points clear of the Championship relegation zone and deepens the hosts' mounting problems. Ben Wilmot's thunderous reply gave Stoke hope of rescuing a point, but Ben Pearson's late red card for hauling down Patrick Bamford ended their comeback bid and condemned them to another damaging defeat.
For United, this was the response Chris Wilder demanded after their Boxing Day bashing at Wrexham, where they shipped five goals. They controlled long spells of the contest, especially for the first hour, and when Cannon volleyed home against the club he had starred for on loan last season, the visitors appeared to be cruising. Yet a combination of Stoke's substitutions, Wilmot's strike from a long throw and a late aerial bombardment left the Blades hanging on by the end.
Stoke, by contrast, have now lost seven of their last 10 league games and failed to win in six of their last seven, slipping further away from the promotion race. Manager Mark Robins labelled the performance "really poor" and railed against the booing of his substitutions, while Wilder urged observers not to judge United on the nervy final stages but on a first 60 to 65 minutes he felt were "right up there" with what he expects from his side.
Blades Dictate Tempo in One-Sided First Half