Early in the match, Anthony Patterson made an impressive save against Kieffer Moore’s header, but the effort came at a cost as Sunderland’s O’Nien left the field with a dislocated shoulder. The Blades dominated, scoring the opening goal when Gustavo Hamer assisted Campbell, who expertly lifted the ball over Patterson. They nearly doubled their lead before halftime, but VAR ruled out Burrows’ goal for obstruction. In the second half, substitute Andre Brooks missed a chance to extend the lead, thwarted by another outstanding block from Patterson after a defensive error by Dennis Cirkin.
The match began with a dramatic moment as Anthony Patterson made an exceptional save to deny Kieffer Moore’s header from a precise Gustavo Hamer cross.
However, it came at a high price for Black Cats defender O’Nien, a seasoned player with over 300 appearances for the club, who had to be assisted off the field due to a dislocated shoulder after colliding with Moore.
The Blades displayed superior performance, which became evident as they scored the opening goal by swiftly countering from a Sunderland corner.
Gustavo Hamer, the Championship’s player of the year, initiated the attack with a perfect pass that evaded three defenders, allowing Campbell to move forward and expertly chip the ball over Patterson.
Before halftime, the Blades believed they had extended their lead when Burrows’ shot, following Hamer’s cleared corner, found the net.
Sunderland breathed a sigh of relief when VAR intervened, determining that Patterson’s view of Burrows’ shot was blocked by Vinicius Souza, who was in an offside position.
Substitute Andre Brooks had a chance to secure a goal for the Blades in the 69th minute after capitalizing on a mistake by Dennis Cirkin, but Patterson came up with a fantastic save.