Sheffield United will continue to breathe down Leeds United’s neck between now and the close of the Championship campaign as the Blades battle it out with Daniel Farke’s Whites to see who will be crowned second-tier champions.
You wouldn’t bet against Chris Wilder’s men in this enthralling race with the South Yorkshire outfit a well-oiled machine under their much-loved manager, with another away win in the Steel City Derby on Sunday piling on the pressure at the top for Leeds to respond.
The two high-flyers are only separated by goal difference at the summit, as United ended up having resurgent star Rhian Brewster to thank at Hillsborough for the excellent 1-0 victory on enemy soil.
Brewster's resurgent performances this season
Many would have already written off Brewster donning the red and white stripes of United, with the ex-Liverpool youngster often disregarded as an extortionate flop, having once cost £23.5m to pick up from Anfield.
Whilst his goal and assist numbers are nothing to really shout about – with the injury-prone forward only on eight goals and four assists from 109 Bramall Lane appearances – he is slowly but surely rewriting the narrative this campaign with the winner against the Owls instantly banking him some credit.
The simplest of tap-ins would hand Wilder’s men the coveted bragging rights on the day, with Brewster up to three goals and three assists in Championship action for the season off the back of this golden finish silencing most of Hillsborough.
Wilder has utilised Brewster predominantly as an impact substitute, but could they rue selling a bigger talent than the former Anfield hotshot?
Wilder must rue selling "poor man's Haaland"
The Blades’ undoing in the tense automatic promotion race could potentially be their lack of firepower, with the promotion-chasers only boasting a modest 52 strikes from 38 clashes next to Leeds’ mammoth total of 76.
Wilder does have Ben Brereton Diaz, Tyrese Campbell and Tom Cannon to call into action up top, but the added face of William Osula wouldn’t go amiss, with the former Bramall Lane youth product now making a name for himself at Newcastle United as a Carabao Cup winner.
The promising Dane is beginning to justify why Eddie Howe’s Magpies splashed out £15m to land the up-and-coming centre-forward, with a superb solo effort against Bromley back in January finally breaking Osula’s senior duck at St James’ Park.
He is yet to get going in the bread and butter of the Premier League, but fierce strikes such as this one put away in the FA Cup show off the blistering youngster’s ability, with Osula no doubt offering Wilder’s men a lot more firepower if he was still present in South Yorkshire.
Games played
15
Goals scored
1
Assists
2
First team starts
3
Fee purchased for
£15m
Osula’s three-goal contributions so far on Tyneside are made to look more impressive by the fact he has only been handed three first-team starts since joining, with Brewster – when he was the same age as Osula at 21 – regularly drawing blanks at United instead, having failed to live up to his hype.
Whereas, the promising Toon number 18 has taken to the all pressures and praise that have come his way swimmingly, having once even been labelled as a “poor man’s Haaland” for his strength and speed by ex-Derby County teammate Curtis Davies.
Of course, Wilder will be overjoyed that he’s managing to get a tune out of Brewster now on some high-stakes stages, but there will be some regret on United’s end that they didn’t keep a tighter grip on Osula, especially if the hot-and-cold number seven’s form drops off again.
8/10 Sheffield United star just made himself as undroppable as Brewster
Sheffield United beat Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 in a fiercely contested Steel City Derby.
ByKelan SarsonMar 16, 2025
