The strange thing was that none of Sheffield United’s players even tried to get stuck into West Ham. Paul Heckingbottom’s side were insipid beyond belief on an afternoon devoid of any drama or intensity, their defensive foundations crumbling under the slightest pressure. It said little for their hopes of staying up that they were so easily swatted aside by opponents who spent most of the second half protecting their legs before visiting Freiburg in the Europa League on Thursday.
West Ham were playing the game on their terms by that stage, goals from Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek inside the opening 37 minutes allowing them to save their energy for tougher assignments. If there were positives for Sheffield United, who remain bottom after earning one point from their opening seven games, it was only that they did not lose by more. Do not be fooled by hints of defiance when it was 2-0: West Ham finished the job during the first half, exposing naive defending with a few moments of class, and the absence of anything in the way of spirit or organisation when it was goalless will do little to end speculation over Heckingbottom’s future.
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