Dalot’s stunner gives Manchester United hard-fought win at Sheffield United

Scott McTominay implored Manchester United to channel the spirit of Sir Bobby Charlton under the Bramall Lane lights, and then helped his team to a hard-fought Premier League victory for the second time in succession. After McTominay’s volleyed opener, Diogo Dalot delivered a delicious strike to see Erik ten Hag’s side just over the line.

Sheffield United had gone deservedly level via Oli McBurnie’s penalty, while Bruno Fernandes and Sofyan Amrabat struck the woodwork before the decisive dart from Dalot.

McTominay, speaking to the television cameras before kick-off, said: “We have to do it for Sir Bobby. We’re going to play with him in mind tonight.” It was apt that Dalot’s winner came from range – not quite a Charlton special but the great man would have been proud.

Both sides went into the international break in poor form and decimated by defensive injuries. The absences of Chris Basham and John Egan burned a borehole in the hosts’ defence – which had been porous enough anyway, having shipped eight in the previous home match – while the game came too soon for the visitors’ Raphaël Varane and Sergio Reguilón, the former only fit enough for the bench.

Harry Maguire kept his spot and was applauded by his former supporters before kick-off, but the boyhood Blade was in retreat mode after the whistle went and the home side quickly wrested the initiative.

Sheffield United sought an early dagger to the heart of Ten Hag’s team. Cameron Archer and Oli McBurnie unfurled shots at André Onana’s goal in the opening 10 minutes, but both were flagged offside. An early pattern had been established, though, and it was with Paul Heckingbottom’s men on top. Will the real United please stand up?

It took until the 16th minute for Manchester United to muster a shot of any notion, and when it came, Antony’s tame effort was gratefully gathered by Wes Foderingham; a second chance a minute later was volleyed chaotically wide.

Onana and Jonny Evans took knocks inside their penalty area, but still that didn’t smack any sense into United. For at least 25 minutes they received the runaround from, by common consent, the Premier League’s worst team. Onana sprawled to deny Archer after Amrabat’s sloppiness allowed the striker a free run on goal.

And then, with a puff of smoke, McTominay appeared, as he tends to do. Crashing into bodies, anticipating his own miscued header, outmuscling Oliver Norwood and volleying low into the corner.

Like so many of the leads Manchester United have earned this season, however, it had a laughably short shelf life. Six minutes hadn’t passed when McTominay quickly turned to villain as he handled James McAtee’s cross, giving McBurnie the chance to level from the spot with VAR disinclined to intervene. Onana delayed but couldn’t stop the Scot netting his first goal of the season.

A hitherto Championship-esque game came alive, spiking in quality. Bruno Fernandes’s raking pass set Marcus Rashford haring into the box from the left and in turn the forward’s cross was inches away from the stretching toe of Rasmus Højlund. Fernandes hit the crossbar with a super free-kick, then Foderingham spread himself to snuff out Højlund after the Dane pounced on a pinball in the box in first-half stoppage time. In truth, any half-time lead clinched by Ten Hag’s side would have flattered them.

If Ten Hag was searching for a gift from somewhere, he nearly got one from Foderingham, but his mishit 55th-minute clearance was shoddily squandered by a combination of Rashford and Højlund. Both were afforded the freedom of Sheffield yet the latter conspired to find only the keeper’s gloves. A similar mix-up provided another chance for the visitors minutes later, with Rashford erring with his left foot after a fine United sequence.

Sheffield United were at risk of becoming their own worst enemy, but finally their Manchester counterparts were doing what was expected of them, turning the screw. Amrabat thundered an effort off the upright, Fernandes arrowed just wide with a daisy-cutter. This was more like the Uniteds we recognised.

Where Fernandes and Amrabat had narrowly missed, Dalot did not, screaming home a 20-yard drive that prompted red flares to ignite in the away end. Alejandro Garnacho had been the necessary spark off the bench, combining down the left with Victor Lindelöf who squared for Dalot to seal it. In the end it was no less than the men from Manchester had warranted, albeit it was far from vintage, Sir Bobby-era United.