On 12 August one of the matches of the 1st round of the English football championship took place. Sheffield United (England) and Crl Palace (London) met.
English Championship, 1st round
SheffieldUnited (England) - Krl Palace (London) - 0:1 (0:0)
Goals: Odsonne Edouard (50)
Warnings: W. Osula (16), A. Ahmedhodzic (57), A. Slimane (86)
Crystal Palace defeated Sheffield United in a hard fought Premier League match at Bramall Lane. Both teams battled each other in this match, but it was Crystal Palace who won 1-0. The first half ended in a goalless draw, with both teams unable to hit the goalposts. Sheffield United's defence held firm, giving Crystal Palace no real chance to take the lead. However, it was only a matter of time before Crystal Palace's Edouard Odsonne managed to turn the tide in the 50th minute. The French striker showed his great skill and calmly headed the ball past the Sheffield United goalkeeper to the delight of the fans. Sheffield United's frustration began to show as they received a flurry of yellow cards for the game. Willy Osula was cautioned in the 16th minute and Asmir Ahmedhodjic was cautioned in the 57th minute. The home side's disciplinary problems made their situation worse, making it difficult for them to counter-attack. With the game hanging in the balance, Sheffield United made a triple substitution in the 80th minute.
Jon Robinson, Antonin Slimane and Chris Basham were replaced by Abdulkerim Slimane, Victor Souza and Yasser Laroussi respectively. The Blades were hopeful that fresh energy would help them salvage a point, but emotions flared in the end of the match and Slimane received another yellow card in the 86th minute. The frustration of the Sheffield United players was evident as they desperately tried to get back into the game. In a last ditch attempt to salvage the match, Sheffield United made two late substitutions. In the 87th minute, Ben Osborn came into the game in place of the injured Antoine Brooks and then Brighton Traore replaced Aaron Hackford. Unfortunately for the home side, their late efforts came to nothing as Crystal Palace held on to their lead and won all three away points. This win showed their resilience and ability to get a result. On the other hand, Sheffield United will be disappointed with the result despite their best efforts. Both teams will now have to rebuild and analyse their performance ahead of their next matches. Sheffield United will be looking to bounce back and improve their position, while Crystal Palace will be hoping to consolidate this result and continue their positive momentum in the Premier League.
The following matches await the rivals in the next round: Nottingham Forest - Sheffield United, Crystal Palace - Arsenal.
| Sheffield United | Crystal Palace | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kicks in the box | 8 |
| 8 | Kicks | 24 |
| 3 | Blocked shots | 8 |
| 4 | Penalty kicks | 17 |
| 4 | Penalty kicks | 7 |
| 18 | Offences | 11 |
| 5 | Corner | 5 |
| 2 | Offsides | 2 |
| 32% | Ball possession | 68% |
| 3 | Yellow cards | 0 |
| 0 | Red cards | 0 |
| 7 | Keeper saves | 1 |
| 254 | Total assists | 538 |
| 158 | Accurate assists | 439 |
| 62% | Accuracy of passes | 82% |