Sheffield United vs Portsmouth (2-1) & Middlesbrough (3-1)

Some slightly late ratings from Pompey, plus the scores on the doors for the best Blades performance of the season in beating Boro.

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

Blades 3-1 Boro

Michael Cooper – 5

Had little to do. Conceded a goal and made one good save but untested outside of that.

Harry Clarke – 5

Had a better time than v Pompey all around. Had a dodgy moment with a weak clearance not long before their goal.

Anel Ahmedhodzic – 8

Feels a bit unpopular with all the love for the forwards but probably my MOTM. Was rock solid and added a goal.

Jack Robinson – 6

Not going to be too harsh for giving away a pretty soft pen. Played one beautiful switch (and one awful one) and made a pretty good defensive intervention to cut out a cross.

Harrison Burrows – 6

A threat from both open play and the corner flag. Happy with that.

Vini Souza – 7

Good performance. Won a lot in the middle of the park and displayed some silky skills.

Sydie Peck – 7

Had a few opportunities where he could’ve done better in front of goal but was a big part of our improved-looking quick attacking play. That pass to BBD for the 2^nd goal was delightful.

Jesurun Rak-Sakyi – 8

Looked so up for it. Spent the first half attempting to beat anyone who came near him. Buzzing to see him playing so well.

Gustavo Hamer – 8

Some of the most outrageous displays of “I’m too good for this” in the Championship this season.

Callum O’Hare – 7

Had some brilliant moments. Still frustrating in the sense that any time he got time on the ball he was caught up or lost it and was very fortunate with the first goal. One of his better games for sure though as we attacked with more intensity which suited him. 6.5. Rounded up

Tom Cannon – 4

Unable to have any impact on the game. Disappointing.

Subs:

Tyrese Campbell - 4

He was better than Cannon but honestly, a 4 might be generous after that chance he messed up. He’ll be counting his blessings tonight after that error was rendered meaningless.

Ben Brereton-Diaz – 6

Lovely finish after a not-so-great touch.

Average rating – 6.23

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Blades 2-1 Pompey

Michael Cooper – 6

Fine. Some not great distribution at times but 6 seems fair given he also denied a huge chance 1-on-1 and did well to catch/parry a few crosses.

Harry Clarke – 3

Don’t think he was as bad as initially thought on rewatch. Yeah, he was beaten by Murphy but did offer some threat in possession. Has to go 3 though as he was definitely “worse” than the players I’ve given a 4

Anel Ahmedhodzic – 5

Ups and downs. Solid box defending but was 2^nd best in his battle with Colby Bishop. Could argue the touch he got on the cross was what made Lang miss his open-goal opportunity.

Jack Robinson – 6

That attempted block/tackle before the goal. Wow. Probably the difference maker.

Harrison Burrows – 5

Pretty bog-standard. Put in some threatening crosses but would just say he was okay on the balance of things.

Vini Souza – 4

Getting mightily lazy here but I think both CMs can kinda be judged as a unit. Neither was mightily impressive, and both were probably a negative in possession while not even being at their best out of possession.

Hamza Choudhury – 4

Was particularly weak off the ball as it seemed to bypass him at times but for a general point, see above.

Ben Brereton-Diaz – 4

Feels a bit harsh considering he assisted the first goal but looked sluggish throughout. Sloppy, and overall, not up to his standards.

Gustavo Hamer – 6

Credit for the goal and some decent moments towards the start but wasn’t as effective as he can be in terms of his creative passing.

Tyrese Campbell – 5

Little to go off really. Barely got a kick

Tom Cannon – 4

Ball bounced off him at times. Not seeing a £10m CF here. Early days.

Subs:

Jesurun Rak-Sakyi - 6

Came on and instantly made us look a bit better. Delighted for him getting the goal.

Sydie Peck – 6

Similar to Rak-Sakyi. His energy and bravery on the ball made us better.

Average rating – 4.92

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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.