At times like this it is hard for any football fan not to feel a pang of sympathy for Paul Heckingbottom. With each passing week, the size of the rock the Sheffield United manager must push up this Premier League mountain seems to grow exponentially.
At almost no point here did his side give any indication they have the required quality to remain in the top tier, despite coming up against a Fulham team that, for much of the season, has appeared implacably opposed to scoring.
In addition to the misery of losing seven of their eight league games, the visitors had the misfortune of seeing Chris Basham depart for what is certain to be a long period out. He suffered the type of horrific suspected broken ankle that should ensure any slow-motion replays of the awful incident carry an 18 rating.
“You’re going down,” sang the Fulham fans, and it is hard to see how they will not be proved correct.
Even when Sheffield United did haul themselves into proceedings – dealt a slice of luck when the Fulham centre-back Issa Diop was struck by a leg injury and gifted them possession that resulted in a goal – the visitors’ misfortune soon continued, with Fulham regaining their lead through a freak Wes Foderingham own goal. At some point it may be fairer to relieve Heckingbottom of his duties purely as an act of mercy.
Sheffield United’s only real period of respite came during the lengthy stoppage for Basham’s injury midway through the opening half. Attempting a cross high up the pitch, the veteran defender’s leg seemed to give way, leaving his foot dangling at a horrendous angle after suffering what looked to be a serious break.
A 13-minute delay followed, while both teams’ medical staff tended to the Sheffield United captain, who received oxygen on the pitch and was taken away on a stretcher and straight into a waiting ambulance. Basham raised his hand in recognition of the heartfelt applause ringing out from all inside the ground as he departed.
“He’s where he needs to be, in hospital with the doctors,” said Heckingbottom. “No one wants to see that ever. It’s terrible, horrific.” Of his side’s plight, propping up the table with one point, he said: “You get what you deserve and we’re where we deserve to be.
“At the minute the things that can go against us are going against us. But we have to roll with it. It’s only us that can get ourselves out of it.”
Victory came as a huge relief for Marco Silva who, for much of the game, must have wondered what he could possibly do to convince his team to put the ball in the net. With Fulham’s joint league-low tally (alongside Sheffield United and Bournemouth) of five goals scored heading into this game, Silva made three attacking changes for the match only to see his side waste multiple chances until Bobby De Cordova-Reid broke the deadlock on 53 minutes, slotting assuredly past Bernd Leno.
Diop’s injury occurred when he was serenely carrying the ball forward, causing him to tumble to the ground and handing possession to James McAtee. He passed out wide to fellow substitute Yasser Larouci, whose cross was turned into his own net by Antonee Robinson. On Diop’s injury, Silva said: “A crack in his foot. It doesn’t look good.”
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Parity did not last long. When Tom Cairney slipped shooting from 25 yards out, the ball looped awkwardly high into the air and off the crossbar, where it rebounded against Foderingham’s back and into the goal. Willian then wrapped up victory when he drove home strongly from just inside the penalty area.
“A well-deserved three points and an important win for us,” said Silva. “We started to create from the first moment. When you create so many chances the normal thing is to put the ball in the net. But the players believed and kept to the plan.”
