Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Sheffield United and Stoke City at Bramall Lane as Iliman Ndiaye and two goals from Jaydon Bogle steered the Blades to victory.
Saturday 14 January 2023 19:20, UK
Jayden Bogle scored a brace as Sheffield United kept the pressure on Championship leaders Burnley with a 3-1 victory over Stoke.
Iliman Ndiaye opened the scoring and Bogle doubled the hosts' lead, while Nick Powell's goal at the end of the first half reduced the arrears before Bogle's second at the death secured the points.
Blades boss Paul Heckingbottom made five changes to his starting line-up with Wes Foderingham, Anel Ahmedhodzic, Sander Berge, Max Lowe and Billy Sharp all restored to the starting line-up.
Stoke skipper Lewis Baker tried a shot in the opening few minutes of the match which was straight at goalkeeper Foderingham.
The hosts took an early lead when Lowe sent over a low cross from the left and Ndiaye beat Jack Bonham with a first-time shot from inside the area.
United's James McAtee then put an effort just over, while - at the other end - Foderingham had to be alert to turn the ball over when Ben Wilmot's attempted cross went goalwards.
Stoke threatened again when Powell traded passes with Baker before firing in a low shot which was kept out by Foderingham.
Bogle made it 2-0 just after the half-hour mark as he won possession, advanced into the area and beating Bonham with a shot which took a deflection off Phil Jagielka.
Powell pulled a goal back in first-half stoppage-time when his ball into the area evaded everyone and ended up in the back of the net.
The home side made a change shortly before the hour-mark when McAtee made way for Tommy Doyle. Ndiaye was replaced later by Daniel Jebbison.
Berge spurned a great chance to restore the Blades' two-goal lead when he fired over from inside the area after Jebbison back-heeled the ball into his path.
There was a double substitution for the visitors when Harry Clarke and Tyrese Campbell came on in place of Wilmot and Powell.
Brown had a chance to equalise when he got on the end of a cross from Campbell, but his header was saved by Foderingham.
Stoke boss Alex Neil made a further change in the closing stages with Dwight Gayle replacing Jordan Thompson.
Bogle made it 3-1 in the final minute of the match, applying a neat near-post finish from Doyle's low cross.
It was not a convincing performance from Heckingbottom's men, but they secured the three points.
Sheffield United's Paul Heckingbottom:
"We prepared for how tough the game was going to be and I'm expecting 19 more tough ones just like that. I'm frustrated because we recover great off one of their counter-attacks, but then they have a throw-in and we were slow to set-up. That's the one black mark against us today. We had control of the game up until that point. Our first goal was a fantastic goal. Jacob Brown had that header and that was it. We expected a tough game and we got one.
"For me he (Ndiaye) was the Player of the Month in December, but he didn't get it. Anyone who watched all our games would struggle to find a better player than Iliman. He's answered again with that (the goal). He was really good. Everyone is involved in how we attack. Everyone is challenged to create goals and score goals. When we need to have control of the game without the ball, we know what we do and we know how we want to do it. It allows us to see games out. I just think there are going to be so many ups and downs between now and the end of the season. The more wins we get now the better we'll be."
Stoke's Alex Neil:
"I'll take a big part of the criticism in the fact that I wanted us to play and open the pitch out. We did to our own detriment, really, because the first goal came when we hit them down the right-hand side. They've got two strikers in the box and we've got three centre-backs - we don't pick them up and they score. For the second one, we lose the ball, trying to play in our own half. Then we get a goal back and in the second half, I changed it. We didn't risk the ball from the back and tried to play on the front foot more and pin them in.
"It might not be pretty but we were better doing it. We looked better. I thought that we were arguably the team that looked more likely to score in the second half. Then the third goal pretty much sums our games up recently. 'Jags' goes in for a tackle, it rattles off their lad, lands in behind us, we don't anticipate it quickly enough and he squares it and finishes the game off. I thought it was harsh at that point - I don't think they deserved a goal at that stage. I thought we were passive in the first half, but I can't fault the lads' effort in the second half."
