Sheffield United 1-2 Sunderland: Blades Suffer More Play-off Heartbreak | OneFootball

Sheffield United suffered yet more play-off heartbreak as they threw away a 1-0 lead late on to lose 2-1 to Sunderland in the Championship play-off final.

The Blades capitalised on a poor corner routine from the Black Cats when Gustavo Hamer burst through and played in Tyrese Campbell who delicately dinked the ball over the goalkeeper in the first half.

Sunderland did not give up hope and Eliezer Mayenda almost broke the net in the 75th minute when he rifled his shot into the top right corner from just inside the box. The game fully swung in Sunderland’s favour and Tommy Watson made sure to end it in normal time when he curled it into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

Lineups

United: Cooper, Brewster (Brooks 64), Hamer (Brereton Diaz 72, Cannon 90), Moore, Burrows, Ahmedhodzic (Seriki 90), Robinson, Souza, Campbell (O’Hare 64), Choudhury, Peck (T. Davies 90).

Subs: A. Davies, McCallum, Holding.

Sunderland: Patterson, Cirkin, Neil (Watson 73), Ballard, Bellingham, Rigg (Roberts 58), Mayenda (Hjelde 90), O’Nien (Mepham 9), Mundle (Isidor 73), La Fee, Hume.

Subs: S. Moore, Browne, Abdul Samed, Jones.

First Half

LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 24: The LED screen displays a message from VAR which reads “Checking Goal, possible offside during the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final match between Sheffield United and Sunderland at Wembley Stadium on May 24, 2025 in London, England. This weekend’s EFL play-off matches at Wembley will all kick-off one minute late, to raise awareness for the ‘Every Minute Matters’ campaign, which aims to encourage people to learn CPR. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

From the first whistle, Sheffield United looked determined to seize the moment. The opening attack nearly yielded a goal as Gustavo Hamer, operating on the left, delivered a pinpoint cross that found Kieffer Moore in space. The towering forward’s header looked destined for the net, only for Sunderland’s goalkeeper Anthony Patterson to produce a stunning reflex save at full stretch.

The effort, however, came at a cost for Sunderland, with defender Luke O’Nien forced off after sustaining an injury while attempting to defend the cross.

The early dominance from the Blades was eventually rewarded, but not before Sunderland launched a promising attack of their own and were awarded a corner. It was from this moment of pressure that United pounced on the counter.

Hamer, again the orchestrator, surged forward, before slipping a precise pass into the path of Campbell. The forward showed great composure by deftly lifting the ball over the advancing Patterson to give United a 25th-minute lead.

Moments later, it appeared that United had doubled their advantage when Harrison Burrows rifled in a shot from 20 yards after a corner was only half-cleared. However, VAR intervened. Referee Chris Kavanagh consulted the pitch-side monitor and adjudged Vinicius Souza to have been in an offside position, obstructing Patterson’s view of the strike.

Sunderland gradually grew into the game as the half progressed after the disallowed goal. Their best moment came in first-half stoppage time, when young talent Chris Rigg pounced on a loose ball from a deflected cross. His drilled effort was on target but comfortably gathered by Michael Cooper in the United goal.

Second Half

The Black Cats started the second half with renewed energy, testing United’s backline with a series of corners. Yet once again, the Blades showed their counter-attacking prowess. Sydie Peck’s clever through ball sent Moore racing clear, but the striker’s attempt was well blocked as Sunderland scrambled back.

On the hour mark, United looked to refresh their attack, with Rhian Brewster and Campbell making way for Andre Brooks and Callum O’Hare. The changes nearly paid immediate dividends when a hopeful ball forward caused confusion in Sunderland’s backline. Dennis Cirkin failed to clear effectively, gifting Brooks a chance, but Patterson denied him with a smart save with his legs.

The game suffered a blow when the influential Hamer required treatment and was eventually substituted, replaced by Brereton Diaz. His departure seemed to take some of the sting out of United’s midfield, and Sunderland took full advantage.

With 14 minutes to go, Sunderland drew level in style. Patrick Roberts, introduced off the bench, weaved his way into space before threading a perfect pass through the lines to Mayenda. The forward kept his cool under pressure, slamming the ball past Cooper to send the Sunderland fans into raptures.

Ben Brereton Diaz was then forced off with an injury just minutes after replacing the injured Hamer. United brought on Tom Cannon and Tom Davies, but disaster struck late on.

Cannon’s first involvement of the match was to collide with Anel Ahmedhodzic from an attacking corner. The Bosnian defender was forced to leave the pitch with a head injury. And then when he was off the pitch, a fatigued and misplaced pass from Moore was pounced on by Tommy Watson, who surged forward unchallenged before arrowing a low shot into the bottom corner, sealing a dramatic turnaround for Sunderland.

In typical Blades fashion, they set an unwanted record; it was the first time in 15 years a team had taken the lead in the Championship play-off final and lost. Sheffield United are now 0-10 in play-off campaigns and have not won at Wembley Stadium since 1925.