Burkina Faso
Czech Republic
Lithuania
Montenegro
Nigeria
North Macedonia
United Arab Emirates

Sheff Utd3 - 3Fulham

sportsmole.co.uk, 30 March 2024, 17:02
Rodrigo Muniz entered his nomination for the Premier League's goal of the season as Fulham fought back from 3-1 down to hold Sheffield United to a 3-3 draw in a breathless Bramall Lane encounter.

After 58 minutes with no nets rippling, the South Yorkshire showdown exploded into bedlam, as two strikes from Ben Brereton Diaz either side of Oli McBurnie's tap-in would ostensibly render Joao Palhinha's effort inconsequential.

However, Bobby Decordova-Reid's drive offered the Cottagers a renewed slice of hope, and with three minutes of injury time on the board, Muniz's scintillating scissor kick rescued a share of the spoils for the visitors, who dealt the latest painful blow to their hosts' survival hopes.

While Fulham boss Marco Silva unsurprisingly saw no reason to alter the pack after his side's brilliant beating of Tottenham Hotspur, Anel Ahmedhodzic, Mason Holgate and Vinicius Souza were brought back into the visitors' XI; George Baldock missed out altogether.

Endeavouring to earn a rare feather in the cap away from home, where they possessed the 17th-worst Premier League record heading into the weekend, the Cottagers made the brighter start, albeit without truly testing Ivo Grbic.

The hitherto quiet Bernd Leno was called into action in the 34th minute, but Ahmedhodzic's effort was too weak to trouble the Fulham number one, who was otherwise a spectator in a half that the Cottagers thoroughly dominated.

Brilliant Blades duo make wasteful Fulham pay

A gilt-edged opening for the red-hot Muniz belatedly arrived in the 37th minute, but Grbic managed to tip the Brazilian's close-range toe poke onto the post, before his audacious rabona rebound sailed over the top.

For all of their possession, the visitors very nearly headed down the tunnel facing a 1-0 deficit as Gustavo Hamer lined up a strike on the edge of the box, but the Blades man could only shoot wide before the whistle signalled the end of a half which sprung into life in the final 10 minutes.

The fast-paced action did not let up at the start of the second period, where Muniz rattled the frame of the goal again - this time from a 47th-minute header - and it only seemed a matter of time before the net would bulge.

Indeed, the deadlock would finally be broken in the 58th minute, but it was the beleaguered Blades who took the lead against the run of play, as McBurnie crossed for Brereton Diaz to fire in from a few yards out after a lackadaisical pass out from the back from Tosin Adarabioyo.

However, a Sheffield United goal was the catalyst that Fulham needed to finally find a clinical edge, as just four minutes after Brereton Diaz's opener, an untracked Palhinha met Andreas Pereira's corner to the near post and directed a header over a stranded Grbic into the far side of the net.

Even Palhinha may have been astounded by the space he was afforded in the Blades box - the hosts' defending was nothing short of horrific - in stark contrast to their ruthless attacking performance.

Palhinha's goal would ostensibly spark the Fulham turnaround, but the Cottagers were only on terms for six minutes as Brereton Diaz and McBurnie swapped roles; the former got to the byline and produced a deft cutback for McBurnie to tap into an empty net.

Magnificent Muniz continues prolific streak

Villarreal loanee Brereton Diaz was proving far too hot for Fulham to handle, and the Chilean remarkably extended Sheffield United's lead in the 70th minute of the match, bundling in at the back post from a delicious Hamer delivery - the Blades' third survived a VAR check, while no further punishment was issues for a goalmouth fracas either.

The Bramall Lane faithful thought that their side had notched a scarcely believable fourth through McBurnie in the 81st minute, but his strike was disallowed for offside against Souza, and Fulham made the most of that let-off.

Tom Cairney battled hard to retain possession the right and advanced centrally before playing in Decordova-Reid, who took one touch before finding the bottom corner with a terrific 25-yard effort with four minutes of normal time remaining.

To the home crowd's bemusement, the Cottagers were gifted 14 minutes of injury time to break Blades hearts, but they would need just three additional moments to wipe out the hosts' lead in incredible fashion.

Once again, Sheffield United's inability to defend crosses proved fatal, as Adama Traore clipped a delicate ball in to Muniz, who left Grbic rooted to the spot with a stunning bicycle kick into the bottom corner.

Chris Wilder's men were on the ropes as the clock ticked down, but both sides would settle for a point apiece, one which keeps Fulham in an unremarkable 12th place, while the Blades remain seven points adrift of safety with just nine games remaining to save their Premier League bacon.

Another taxing away day awaits Fulham on Tuesday, when the Cottagers head north to face Nottingham Forest, while an even more daunting road trip is on Sheffield United's menu, as Wilder's side head to Liverpool on April 4.

Show more

Top News

28 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Freiburg will hope to boost their chances of Champions League qualification with victory against visitors Union Berlin on Sunday in the Bundesliga at Europa-Park Stadion. 28 March 2025 talksport.com When Mesut Ozil got on the ball, it was like he cast a spell on the crowd as they watched on in awe. 28 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City Women will look to bounce back from their European exit when they travel to Broadfield Stadium for Sunday's meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion Women 28 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Fulham boss Marco Silva has insisted he is focused on Saturday's FA Cup clash against Crystal Palace despite it being "very nice" to hit the significant milestone of 500 games in management. 28 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly considering making a move for Braga attacker Roger Fernandes this summer. 28 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid will continue their La Liga campaign with a clash against Leganes on Saturday night. 28 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona attacker Dani Olmo will be sidelined for approximately three weeks with the right adductor injury that he suffered during the team's La Liga clash with Osasuna on Thursday night. 28 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola has revealed Marcos Senesi could be in the squad for Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester City. 28 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Osasuna have launched an official appeal to the Spanish Football Federation, claiming that Inigo Martinez was not eligible to take to the field for Barcelona in Thursday's La Liga contest. 28 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to keep their faint hopes of Conference League qualification alive, Brest will travel to the South Coast on Sunday afternoon to face Toulouse in Ligue 1. 28 March 2025 talksport.com Jean-Philippe Mateta is back from his horror injury, but he's now having to wear some unique protective headgear. 28 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti is confident that Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Antonio Rudiger and Dani Ceballos will all be available for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final with Arsenal on April 8. 28 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool Women will look to bounce back from a 4-0 defeat to Arsenal when they face Aston Villa Women in Sunday's clash at the St Helens Stadium. 28 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Leicester City Women will welcome Tottenham Hotspur Women to the King Power Stadium for Sunday's Women's Super League fixture. 28 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Both looking to ease their growing fears of relegation, Angers and Rennes will clash at Stade Raymond Kopa for a Ligue 1 match on Sunday afternoon. 28 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United Women will welcome Everton Women to Leigh Sports Village for Sunday's Women's Super League encounter. 28 March 2025 talksport.com Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca scrapped a planned rest day for his senior squad after they suffered a shock 3-0 loss to the club's under-21 side in training. 28 March 2025 talksport.com Wrexham are financially stable enough to challenge the big hitters next season if they secure promotion to the Championship. 28 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Buoyed by reaching the Women's Champions League semi-final, Arsenal Women will return to Women's Super League action for Sunday's meeting with Crystal Palace Women. 28 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reportedly plotting a move for Liverpool-linked Jeremie Frimpong in the summer transfer window. 28 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly prepared to consider offers for defender Cristian Romero during the summer transfer window. 28 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly prepared to pay over the release clause of Francisco Trincao in order to land the attacker. 28 March 2025 talksport.com Brazilian football delivered yet another night of chaos as Corinthians clinched their first title in six years - with a familiar face in the middle of a controversial Sao Paolo derby. 28 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Pep Guardiola has been impressed with young centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov since joining Manchester City in the January transfer window. 28 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola must work around two crushing suspension blows for Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final showdown with Manchester City at the Vitality Stadium. 28 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have reportedly moved ahead in the race for Blackburn Rovers sensation Harvey Higgins. 28 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola is confident of having Ederson available for Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final tie with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium. 28 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United teenager Bendito Mantato is reportedly in line for a new four-year contract at Old Trafford. 28 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Catalan battles Basque in the pick of this weekend's FA Cup quarter-finals, where Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth host Pep Guardiola's Manchester City at the Vitality Stadium. 28 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has delivered a positive update on the fitness of his squad ahead of Saturday lunchtime's FA Cup quarter-final tie with Fulham at Craven Cottage.