Sheffield United 2-0 Stoke (A)
Blades edge closer to 90 points with a changed side bringing a comfortable win.
These ratings will follow after every game of the Championship season, and they will — depending on your outlook — be harsh or too kind. Any 1-10 rating should make use of every number, and as Riley explains below, the ratings system starts at a 5 (when a player enters the field) and goes up or down depending on their contribution.
Riley Roberts
Michael Cooper – 6
It wasn’t the hardest game for him, but just about perfect when called into action to deny Al-Hamadi twice.
Femi Seriki – 5
Attempted a few bursting runs but never had a huge impact – a tad unlucky not to have won a penalty
Rob Holding – 7
An impressive performance, often seen outmuscling his man or appearing in the right place at the right time.
Jack Robinson – 7
My (controversial) MOTM. Made an excellent sliding challenge in the penalty area, and denied Stoke a decent chance when well placed to cut out a cross in the first half. Carried that into the second where he was able to fend off any danger.
Sam McCallum – 5
Had he not scored, we’d be talking about a bizarre, poor display, but he did, so we’re not. He risked getting booted in the face to score the opener, so never going to be too harsh.
Rhian Brewster – 6
Did some good work at both ends of the pitch, putting in quality set-pieces in attack, and making two challenges to stop Burger at the back.
Hamza Choudhury – 5
An up-and-down performance where he made a massive mistake in the tackle, leading to a Stoke chance early on. But he was able to recover, making some important interventions too. On the whole though, we looked vulnerable through the middle on the counter, so it’s hard to be too kind to him and Souza.
Vini Souza – 5
Not at his usual best when it comes to stopping opposition threats, but excited everyone when he juggled the ball while running 10 yards forward in the first half.
Callum O’Hare – 6
Was often guilty of slowing down attacks as he has a bit of a tendency to do, but played a neat pass to Campbell, who should’ve done better in the first half, then played a beautiful ball into Peck in the move for the second goal.
Kieffer Moore – 6
Won his battles more often than not and has been a welcome returnee to the team. Had multiple chances he should’ve done better with, but the presence of a focal point makes us look better, in my opinion,n and he’s playing that role well
Tyrese Campbell – 4
Didn’t work out for him on his return to Stoke, as he missed a good chance and was booked for diving. Not been at his best for a while.
Average rating – 5.64
Ratings system:
0 – Reserved for anyone who has a wayward effort at goal smash me in the face, unlikely to ever happen.
1 – Worst of the worst. Saved for disastrous performances, with result-altering mistakes.
2 – A terrible performance. Performances where a player offers very little and has many unsuccessful actions, ultimately proving to be a major detriment to the team’s overall performance.
3 – A bad performance. Negative contribution. Like a 2, just a bit less rubbish.
4 – A below-average performance. Not necessarily having a negative impact on the game; it could just be a player who struggled to impact the game at all.
5 – The baseline rating. All players go into a game starting on a 5 — it’s bang average, given out for an unremarkable yet solid performance, for a postman delivering the post.
6 – A decent performance. A player who gets a 6 has positively contributed to the game, and at the very least has had some impressive moments while being generally solid outside of them.
7 – A good performance. Awarded for players who had a noticeable positive impact on the game.
8 – A very good performance. A player who made significant contributions to the outcome of the game with their performance and consistently displayed a high level throughout.
9 – An outstanding performance. To score as high as a 9, a player needs to be dominant throughout the match, performing at a level well above the standard and/or making multiple game-changing contributions.
10 – A perfect 10, unlikely to ever see the light of day as nobody has a flawless game. For me to even think about giving out a 10 it would probably have to be a player doing something historic or unheard of.