BLADES boss Chris Wilder was full of praise for John Fleck on Saturday, whose second-half brace helped Sheffield United to a 2-0 win at Bramall Lane.

Stepping it up after the break, the home side scored twice through Fleck while Villa failed to halve the deficit as Jack Grealish missed a penalty given after a lengthy VAR check.

Chris Wilder was full of praise for his side but singled out Fleck, who he said outplayed fellow Scot John McGinn in midfield.

“His energy levels and his play in the second half was terrific,” said Wilder of Fleck.

“It was a tough afternoon for him in that midfield against the likes of John McGinn, who he knows from his Scotland days and who he played in there again last season.

“But he was still running past people with 93 minutes on the clock. I’m a bit disappointed he didn’t get his hat-trick because that would have put the icing on the performance.”

The Blades started with their usual energy and intensity, but as the first half progressed Villa’s counter-attacking game plan threatened to pay dividends.

While Wesley struggled to get involved in the game and appeared to be dropping deeper by the minute, Villa’s organisation meant United couldn’t play at the pace they wanted to.

The stop-start nature of the game began to frustrate home fans and given the success Newcastle United enjoyed by playing in a similar style ten days prior, Wilder needed to change something to avoid a similar defeat.

Immediately after the restart, United went in search of their opener. They should have got it through David McGoldrick, but the striker somehow failed to guide Ollie Norwood’s excellent right-wing cross on target.

Another soon came in, though — and this time Fleck made no mistake. His finish rifled into the roof of the net before Tom Heaton had a chance to react. Suddenly, the noise levels began to rise.

Villa could have equalised after a quick counter, but Wesley could only find the side netting after making space for himself in the area. Moments later, Grealish headed wide after being picked out by Anwar El Ghazi.

It was now Dean Smith who needed something different from his team but though they went in search of parity, they were soon two down. Fleck struck again with a neat finish in the 73^rd minute after the ball fell to him in the area.

Villa were awarded a penalty with just under 15 minutes remaining after VAR spotted a handball by John Egan, but Grealish’s kick clattered off the bar before United eventually cleared.

Chances for a third went begging late on, first when Fleck failed to release McGoldrick early enough after a great counter attack and then when the striker spurned an effort just yards out. But it was a happy afternoon for them in the end as the Blades continue with what seemed an improbable push for Europe.

Smith admitted his side simply weren’t good enough going forward and got what they deserved.

“I’m annoyed because we are better than we showed, they’ve taken their chances and we haven’t taken ours,” he said.


“I thought defensively we were OK in the first half but we never managed the ball well enough, which is something we should be doing with the players we’ve got.”