Sheffield United falter at home again as Karlan Grant earns point for West Brom
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When does a stutter become a stumble? After a first home defeat of the season against Burnley on Boxing Day, the erstwhile Championship leaders Sheffield United dropped two more home points against West Bromwich Albion. Perhaps we should not overreact and Chris Wilder has been around long enough not to, but with a trip to promotion rivals Sunderland up next on New Year’s Day, this is shaping to be an uncomfortable period for his blunted Blades.
![[Andre Brooks enjoys his first senior goal, putting Sheffield United in front against West Brom.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/d7b4bd0183ec18c07ce8f39a2ff4658b024b9725/0_268_4974_2985/master/4974.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
An equaliser from Karlan Grant in first-half added time cancelled out Andre Brooks’s opener and secured for West Brom a deserved point. The Blades are being stretched by injuries – their bench had a kids’ club feel to it. With the takeover by COH Sports complete, Wilder met the club’s new American owners last week and spelled out his desire for a couple of experienced additions to his squad in the January transfer window.
The impregnable defensive edifice that went nine games at Bramall Lane without coughing up a goal has now been breached three times in three days. Without the injured Harry Souttar as its chief pillar, it looked less commanding against a tricky West Brom side still with designs on promotion themselves.
Searching for a new manager after the destabilising mid-season exit of Carlos Corberan to Valencia, it was a fine point on one of the Championship’s more testing road trips. Chris Brunt, in charge on a caretaker basis, could be well satisfied. Wilder initially shelved the experiment of pairing Kieffer Moore and Rhian Brewster up front after the partnership spluttered against Burnley on Boxing Day.
