By Deadbat
Ratings for the Blades players from the 1-0 win against Middlesbrough at Bramall Lane.
Bunn 7/10 – Very solid. Good handling all game, punched or caught crosses and for the few efforts Boro had, he was right behind them. He also hit two or three excellent low kicks that found their target.
Walker 7/10 – Good game. Won the battle with the winger and made the key tackles, blocks and clearances. Got forward in support when he could, and delivered the ball of the match early in the second half, which nobody attacked at the Kop end. Once again, however, he nearly got caught out by trying too much. Fortunately his pace and athleticism meant he got back to recover any errors.
Taylor 6/10 – Poor again for most of the game, save for the excellent goal assist. He was again awfully slow, at times, to react to danger, and his positional sense leaves much to be desired. Improved in the second half, but he is the weakest link in the defence.
Morgan 8/10 – Rock solid all game. Won headers, cleared the ball and limited the Boro strikers to barely a clear chance or shot. Some of his headers completely killed any half chances Boro had, such was the distance he got on them.
Seip 8/10 – A very good, full, home debut. He read the game well, used the ball, defended well and did all the basics. Won a number of headers, tackles and also covered a lot of ground across the back four. Very impressive start.
Montgomery 7/10 – Defensively he was excellent, as he broke up play and won numerous 50-50s in the middle of the park. His passing was a mixed bag again, but after some poor performances recently, we once again saw the positives that Monty offers. The moment where he won the ball, ran 20-30 yards and then blazed a woeful shot into the crowd drew a mixture of applause (for the tackle and run) and sighs/laughs (for the shot); the essence of Monty.
Quinn 8/10 – A good performance. He was involved in much of the game, in a performance full of running. Did some really good things with one or two good runs and clever balls. He was booked for arguing and at one stage he looked like being substituted as he continued to harangue the referee. Like Monty, he’s one of those players that United fans will probably never be totally convinced by. However, also like Monty, he is the sort of player that you would probably rather not play against. They certainly never hide.
Harper 7/10 – He has steadily improved, and seems to be getting fitter and stronger and, whilst he still does not get on the ball enough, he does use it wisely and tries to get ahead of the strikers. Slowly starting to turn things around.
Williamson 6/10 – Not at home playing wide right and did not get in the game very much. His touch and passing was also off for much of the game. He kept going but was eventually taken off when Blackwell realised it had not worked. Needs to have a long run in the central area of the pitch.
Cresswell 7/10 – For long stretches he was not in the game in terms of being on the ball, but his honest toil and chasing down of defenders provoked mistakes as the match wore on. And once again he got in the right place to score. He is proving to be an excellent finisher, which makes up for the unremarkable performances.
Evans 6/10 – Still frustrating. He has improved his general play but he looks no nearer getting a goal. He seems to be playing too far up the pitch, and should have got closer to a couple of good balls across the box. Definitely a good footballer though and played one or two clever knock-downs that led to chances and showed he has a good football brain with a couple of clever reverse passes that set up attacks.
Substitutes
Camara – He hardly bust a gut when he came on, but I suppose we have to accept that is his style. He nearly scored a clinching goal, keeps the ball well when he has it and has a very good touch.
Ward – Played wide right but did not get that involved in the game, as United were trying not to throw too many players forward. Maybe he had burnt himself out on the exercise bike by the side of the dug out as he warmed up!
Henderson – Only came on right at the end but miraculously did not commit a foul.
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