Sheffield United continued their unbeaten start to the Championship season with a confident 2-0 win over Hull City at the MKM Stadium on Friday night.
Gustavo Hamer opened the scoring early in the match, and substitute Sam McCallum doubled the lead in the second half. The victory marked the Blades’ third win in their last five matches, keeping them just three points off the league leaders, Sunderland, despite a two-point deduction for the club.
For Hull City, it was a disappointing fifth consecutive match under manager Tim Walter without a win, as they remain yet to lead a match in the Championship this season.
Clinical Counters Make the Difference
Despite Hull having the majority of possession, Sheffield United consistently posed a threat, particularly on the counter-attack. The opening goal came after 15 minutes when debutant Mohamed Belloumi lost possession under pressure from Callum O’Hare, who surged 50 yards before passing to Hamer. The midfielder took a touch into the box and fired the ball into the bottom corner of the net.
Walter made two substitutions at halftime, introducing Liam Millar and Cody Drameh to boost Hull’s performance. However, it was Sheffield United’s changes midway through the second half that had the greater impact. A triple substitution by Chris Wilder led to the second goal, with Rhian Brewster starting the move that ended with Andre Brooks setting up McCallum to fire into the net. Similar to the first goal, the move originated from a Hull City corner.
Manager Reactions
Hull’s Tim Walter said, “To be honest, it was our best game. We made some mistakes, but that’s part of life. I’m not angry; I’m proud of how we performed. In the end, we need to make better finishing passes. We created good situations but need to be more courageous. I’m proud of my boys, but easy mistakes cost us.”
Sheffield United’s Chris Wilder reflected, “It was a bit of an arm wrestle. It wasn’t the way we wanted to play, but sometimes you have to grind it out. We have a young and new team, so we need to find different ways to win. In the first half, it felt like a game of basketball at times, which we didn’t enjoy. We looked a bit leggy and need to improve, but we’re here for the three points, no matter how we get them.”
Credit: Sky Sports
