Sheffield United v Rotherham: Visitors secure a shock and famous win at Bramall Lane

The only trouble was, Rotherham were chasing their own important honour. And, thanks to Ben Wiles’ effort, which came following a series of errors among United’s rearguard, they claimed the scalp they have coveted most since gaining promotion from the third tier.

Oliver McBurnie and substitute Billy Sharp went close during the dying embers of the match. But Paul Heckingbottom’s side, fractious and jaded, couldn’t complain about the final outcome.

Despite beginning this fixture in the lower reaches of the division, it was the visitors who appeared the more accomplished of these two South Yorkshire rivals; executing the game plan Matt Taylor had prepared almost to perfection as they secured their first victory at this stadium in more than 40 years.

United looked jaded, with their on-going fitness issues preventing Heckingbottom and his coaching staff from refreshing their team. But it was the opposition’s application of pressure, particularly without the ball, which shaped this fixture every bit as much as any fatigue on the hosts’ part. The loss of John Fleck left United, who remain third, lightweight in midfield while there will be question marks about the defending which presented Wiles with the chance he snapped-up just before the break.

The night began on a sombre note, as both sets of players and their respective supporters paid their respects to the fallen ahead of Remembrance Sunday. But when the strains of the Last Post had finished echoing around the stadium, things quickly became febrile as United attempted to lay siege to Rotherham’s penalty area and Taylor’s men scampered around keeping them at bay.

It was a task they quickly mastered, taking the sting out of the contest by pressing, probing and passing whenever they gained possession. Indeed, it was Rotherham who created the first chance of the game when Chiedozie Ogbene’s presence forced Wes Foderingham to make an awkward clearance as he attempted to connect with Peter Kioso’s cross. United’s rhythm was further disrupted by the sight of Fleck trudging off midway through the opening period. Their injury issues, with Rhys Norrington-Davies, Sander Berge, Jayden Bogle and Tommy Doyle among those ruled-out beforehand, are fast becoming a joke.

With Kioso drawing another save from Foderingham, it was Rotherham who produced the finer work throughout a first-half which ended with them taking a deserved lead when Wiles slid home a simple finish after Jack Robinson got himself into a whole heap of trouble as Ogbene hunted down Lee Peltier’s long throw.

Entering this match on the back of an emphatic win over leaders Burnley, United selected an unchanged starting eleven although James McAtee returned to the bench. Rotherham, who had lost all of their previous three, predictably rang the changes making four in total.

Taylor’s boldness paid off, with Wiles also seeing a claim for a penalty after tangling with Enda Stevens waved away seconds before the interval.

John Egan shot straight at Johansson soon after the action had resumed. But even though they engineered some promising situations during the closing stages, United failed to create any clear cut openings.

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