Sheffield United vs Aston Villa 17/06/20

After an agonising 3 month wait, premier league football returned, albeit without a bang. A 0-0 draw at an unfamiliarly empty Villa Park meant that neither team seized their opportunity to move considerably up the table. Despite largely uninspiring performances from either side, there were some performances to note.

Best Player - Dean Henderson

The Blades’ shot stopper proved once again why Manchester United and England should consider him as their number one in the future by putting in another impressive performance. Despite Villa having 1.01 xG during the game, it was Henderson’s goalkeeping rather than Villa’s poor finishing that prevented Villa from scoring. Henderson saved all 6 of Villa’s shots on target, showing that defensive blocks were not instead responsible for the Blades’ clean sheet.

Worst Player - Orjan Nyland

Whilst Sheffield United only had 1 shot on goal and .24 xG over the course of the game, indicating that Nyland had a fairly untesting evening, his performance was unconvincing. Most notably, he failed to deal with an Ollie Norwood freekick in the 41st minute, appearing to accidentally carry the ball over the line (pictured). It was only an unprecedented error from goal-line technology that prevented being embarrassed on his return to premier league football.

Underrated Player - Jack Robinson

Jack O’Connell’s marauding overlaps from left centre back have epitomised Sheffield United’s style of play this season. Thus, his absence for this game was predicted to have a significant effect. In his place was Jack Robinson, a 26 year old making his premier league debut. Robinson filled in superbly, making 4 tackles and interceptions, winning 6 aerial duels and touching the ball 81 times (bettered only by Ollie Norwood’s 82), showing that he was crucial to the Blades’ possession. Perhaps O’Connell’s injury may not have the disastrous effects many would have thought.