Brentford 2-0 Sheffield United: Oliver Arblaster own goal and Frank Onyeka strike send Blades closer to drop

Brentford broke a losing streak of nine games and saved their position in the top league by winning 2-0. The defeat pushes Sheffield United closer to being relegated from the Premier League.

It seems highly likely that Chris Wilder's team will go back to Sky Bet Championship right away following a regrettable intervention from Oliver Arblaster. Arblaster scored an own goal after Mikkel Damsgaard sent a cross, which led to the hosts taking the lead. This happened in the 63rd minute, and it's now the sixth own goal that Sheffield United has suffered this season.

The Bees haven't won at home since January 20, but they almost scored a second goal thanks to Damsgaard's volley after Bryan Mbeumo's free-kick. However, VAR overturned the goal as it ruled that Oli McBurnie had been fouled by Nathan Collins.

In the game, Frank Onyeka capitalized on a wonderful pass from Kevin Schade to secure the win in the very last minute of the match (90+3). As a result, Sheffield United are now languishing 10 points behind the safety zone, while Brentford have moved seven points clear of the area where teams are at risk of being relegated.

The Brentford team members had varying scores in their recent game. Flekken, Roerlsv, Collins, and Zanka each received a score of six. Reguilon did slightly better, earning a seven. Janelt and Jensen both scored a six, while Damsgaard performed extremely well and was awarded an eight. Wissa, Maupay, and Mbeumo each received a score of six or seven.

Player Ratings: Pinnock (not applicable), Schade (not applicable), Onyeka (not applicable), Lewis-Potter (6), Yarmolenko (6).

Sheffield United's recent match saw Grbic score a rating of 7, closely followed by Ahmedhodzic, Trusty, Holgate, and Larouci with a rating of 6. Arblaster earned an impressive rating of 8, while Osborn, Bogle, Hamer, McBurnie, and Brereton Diaz all received a rating of 6.

Players: Archer scored six, Slimane's score is not available, and McAtee scored five.

The standout performer of the game was Mikkel Damsgaard, who was named the Player of the Match.

Brentford's Hard-won Triumph

Brentford has managed to not let any of their opponents score in two consecutive games at their home ground, the Gtech Community Stadium, in the Premier League. This is the first time they have achieved this feat in the current season and also the first time since May 2023. Before this achievement, the team had allowed 22 goals to be scored by their opponents in 10 home games, giving an average of 2.2 goals conceded per game.

This predictable victory for Thomas Frank's team was much needed and reduces the chance of getting caught up in an unpleasant fight to avoid relegation.

Sheffield United's future in the Premier League is looking bleak as they have only won one of their previous 16 games and were defeated in 10 of them. Their most recent victory was back in early December, with the exception of a 3-1 win against Luton on February 10th. The signs are not looking good for the team.

Wilder's team came to west London after getting a draw in three of their last four games, and they only had one clean sheet in the Premier League this season. This clean sheet happened during a 1-0 victory against Brentford at Bramall Lane in December.

At the beginning of the match, they seemed to have the greatest opportunity to score. Ben Brereton Diaz managed to get away from Zanka, but unfortunately, when it came time to shoot, he lacked the necessary confidence. Mark Flekken managed to keep the ball away with ease.

Brentford struggled in the absence of Ivan Toney, who was once again considered only good enough for the bench. However, they were given a wonderful opportunity when Anel Ahmedhodzic made an error that allowed Mbeumo to pass to Neal Maupay.

Grbic quickly darted forward towards the Frenchman and managed to make him miss his shot, causing it to go wide off the post. Despite not seeing much improvement after the game resumed, Frank chose not to call on Toney.

However, in line with Sheffield United's overall performance this season, they were responsible for their own failure. This became apparent when McBurnie failed to take advantage of the chance to pass the ball to Jayden Bogle, a completely unmarked player in the penalty area. Shortly after, Brentford scored the opening goal, leaving Sheffield United to face the consequences of their mistake.

Damsgaard received Mbeumo's pass and struck a powerful cross that ricocheted off Arblaster's legs and landed in the net, leaving Grbic helpless. Shortly after, Damsgaard attempted to claim a goal of his own by firing in Mbeumo's free-kick.

Despite there being only a small amount of contact between Collins and McBurnie, Referee Sam Barrott and VAR David Coote believed that Collins had pulled McBurnie's shirt. This decision meant that Sheffield United's players were given a second chance, but they were unable to take advantage of it.

Brentford had to patiently wait until the final minutes of the game to secure their win. During a throw-in by Sergio Reguilon, Schade, who had come on as a substitute, expertly redirected the ball towards Onyeka, who then made a solid finish to score.

Frank Confident Toney Ready For Luton

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Thomas Frank, the manager of Brentford Football Club, expressed his satisfaction and relief after a recent victory. He jokingly commented to his players that he did not want to experience another stretch of nine games without a win. This difficult period served as a stark reminder of the unforgiving nature of the league and its status as the most challenging in the world. Frank has learned to not have high expectations, as the game of football can be unpredictable and brutal.

It was a satisfying victory with a decent performance, though not exceptional. I believe we earned the win fairly. The first goal was fortunate for us and gave us an advantage.

I sympathize with Damsgaard for missing out on that goal. He played well against Villa and continued his momentum today. I believe the goal should have been counted since it wasn't a glaring mistake by the officials. They made a rather lenient call. This season there have been a handful of comparable situations where we haven't been lucky enough to get the call. Refereeing is a challenging task.

Ivan Toney was sick last week and his hip injury hasn't completely healed yet. However, we have ample time to prepare him for the Luton match and I'm certain he'll be ready by then. As for Ajer, it's uncertain if he'll be available for the game.

Wilder's Team: Scoreless At Half-Time

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The manager of Sheffield United, Chris Wilder, shared his thoughts on the recent game, stating that he doesn't believe there was a significant difference between the two teams. He also mentioned that the opposing manager, Thomas Frank, may make a complaint about a block that led to a potential second goal earlier in the game. Additionally, Wilder acknowledged that losing their team captain, Jack Robinson, was a setback, but managing to keep the score 0-0 at halftime was a noteworthy accomplishment, especially for a team in their position. Lastly, he clarified that the team wasn't in a position where they had to defend continuously throughout the game.

Our team made a costly mistake that led to the opposing team scoring their first goal. If we had scored first, the game would have been more exciting. We believed we could put pressure on them and make them feel uneasy. At the end of the game, we saw Thomas and his teammates express relief, probably because they were worried we would make a comeback.

Counter-attacks happen in the game and Arblaster's own goal was scored due to an unfortunate deflection. We might have been more efficient in our attempts to recover the situation, but it seems like fate is not on our side again.

Regarding Jayden Bogle's exit due to injury: "It would be detrimental to our team if we are forced to continue without Jayden. Unfortunately, it seems that he has sustained a soft tissue injury and the prognosis does not look promising."

Brentford Unfazed By Toney's Absence?

Ben Grounds from Sky Sports is currently present at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Maximus easily won the Grand National, and although Brentford won effortlessly, they did so without their star player. Ivan Toney didn't even get a chance to play, as he remained on the bench as a substitute.

After being brought in only for the game against Aston Villa due to Ollie Watkins's tying goal, it raises questions about how frequently we will witness Toney playing in a red and white jersey.

Regardless of whether his team members are injured or not, Thomas Frank is aware that he must begin getting them ready to play without their most important player. Although Frank's team was not playing at their maximum speed, they still had enough strength in their offense to further damage Sheffield United's terrible performance on the road.

The Blades couldn't take advantage of Toney's absence, and they still haven't kept a clean sheet when playing away.

The forward is going through a very long period of time without scoring in the Premier League. He has taken 21 shots and made 36 touches in the opponent's area in the last seven matches, but he wasn't included in the team that played at Villa Park.

Brentford may have to bid farewell to Toney this summer, but it doesn't necessarily spell trouble for the team. With Schade and Mbeumo back in shape, it would be wise to limit Toney's appearances in the remaining matches, even if he is fit. This would be effective management.

"Brentford Defeats Sheffield United 2-0 In FPL Stats"

Sheffield United Heading Towards Unwanted Record - Opta Stats

On April 20th, Brentford will play against Luton for their upcoming game in the Premier League. The match will begin at 3pm.

Sheffield United will be playing against Burnley, who are also competing to avoid being relegated, at Bramall Lane at 3pm.

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