Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder reflects on ‘strong’ show in derby day win

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder reflected on a “really solid, strong performance” which saw his side beat city rivals Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 in a match they dominated.

Tyrese Campbell scored twice – finding the net either side of the break – with substitute Tom Cannon rounding off the scoring with a well taken goal in added time.

Wednesday, who remain anchored to the bottom of the Sky Bet Championship table after winning just once this season, failed to test goalkeeper Michael Cooper, who did not have a solitary effort on target to save.

Wilder said: “It’s been a tough period, I think for both clubs as well, for different reasons. We always knew that this was going to be a tough afternoon for us.

“It was on our toes to win the game of football because of the start that we’ve had and the results that we’ve had. We always knew we were going to have to overcome an honest group of players, which we eventually did.

“It was a really solid, strong performance, defensively, sound. I thought we got after them on the press and we created chances as well. We just had a few more opportunities where we could have been a little bit more clinical, but I think that’s just me looking and reviewing that from maybe a manager’s point of view instead of a supporter’s point of view.

“We were good out of possession. We got the press right. We forced them to go long. Any little periods of sustained pressure that they had, we saw it out.”

Wednesday manager Henrik Pedersen had no complaints about the result, conceding that they “lost to a better team”.

Pedersen said: “First, we are all disappointed. It was not the performance we hoped for today.

“I think we got a good beginning of the game, and then we conceded a transition goal. And then afterwards, we struggled a little bit with the belief, with the trust to have the ball, to move the ball quick enough.

“And then in the second half, after five minutes we conceded. We struggled to find the last pass, to have the last crossing, the last movement. Yeah, so we lost to a better team today.

“We always make an analysis of the different phases of the game. And I think from the defensive perspective, we were not as dominant as we very often are in our pressing. We’ll also analyse the second ball.

“I know my boys and I know how we have trained this week, I know how we have played, and I’m sure we can fight this again. They are strong characters, they are strong boys and it’s a strong group.”