The noise coming from our fans at the end, it really said everything. We’re top of the league now, clear after beating Sheffield United right at their place. A 2-1 win, our sixth in a row, and you can just feel what it means.
Honestly, we was so sharp early on. Tommy Conway scores first, then right before half-time, Riley McGree is there to poke another one in. That two-goal cushion, it just mattered so much later when they was pushing. They did get one back, Patrick Bamford scoring it, but then their new guy, Joe Rothwell, gets a red card. Kind of a wild challenge really, and that was that for their comeback.
The first half, it was mostly us. After their early chance that Sol Brynn saved good, we just took over. Passed it quick, found spaces. The goal was nice – Ayling to Whittaker, then McGree, over to Conway who finished it perfect. Felt like we could’ve scored even more before the break, Hackney hitting the post and then McGree following up for the second.
Their manager, Chris Wilder, he said after they was too passive in that first half. I could see it. After halftime though, everything changed. They pushed us back, had a lot of the ball. That cross that just missed Bamford’s head, that was a real let-off. But then Bamford did score later, and you felt the game turning.
Then the red card happens. Rothwell’s tackle was just too high, too late. Ref didn’t think twice. All their momentum from the goal just disappeared right then.
Michael Carrick, our manager, he talked about the character we shown. It’s true. After they scored and the crowd got loud, we just found a way. It weren’t pretty at the end, but we held on. These are the points that feels huge later.
So now we’re two points clear at the top. For them, it’s a setback, leaves them kind of in the middle. But for us, the winning run just keeps going. It builds confidence, even when parts of the game is hard. The early save by Brynn, some late blocks, it all adds up. That’s what a promotion team does, I guess.
Being the team everyone is chasing now, that’s a new feeling. It’ll be tested. But for tonight, we can look at the table and smile. We showed two sides – the pretty football for the goals, and the tough side to see it out. Sheffield United will probably be annoyed, especially with that red card. Sometimes the game turns on just one or two moments, doesn’t it?
You know, looking back over this whole season so far, it’s the tough draws we got through earlier that makes a win like this feel earned. Not every game was pretty, sometimes we had to scrap for just a point. That’s what makes putting a run together now feel so good, like all that work is clicking.
I gotta say, someone like Luke Ayling in defence doesn’t always get the headlines for a 2-1 win. But his experience today, just knowing when to step up or stay back, it quieted down their biggest threats for most the match. That kind of thing gets noticed in the dressing room after, believe me.
From where I was standing, the away end was bouncing all game, even when we was under pressure. That noise, it travels right down to the pitch. It’s like having a extra player, honestly. It helps you run that bit harder in the last few minutes when your legs are gone.
What’s next for us now is handling being top. Every other team will give us their absolute best game, that’s just how it is. But there’s a belief in our group that’s grown so much. We know we can win playing good football, and we also know we can dig deep and win ugly. That’s a powerful thing to feel going into any match.
