Sheffield United 2-2 Chelsea: Player ratings as McBurnie scores stoppage time equaliser

Chelsea were held to a 2-2 draw by 20th-placed Sheffield United on Sunday evening, with Oli McBurnie salvaging a point for the Blades with a 93rd minute equaliser.

Mauricio Pochettino's side had gone into the game buoyed by a season-best 4-3 win over Man Utd on Thursday evening, and quickly took the lead at Bramall Lane through Thiago Silva.

Jayden Bogle pulled a goal back for the home side before a stunning second half strike from Noni Madueke has seemingly secured another three points for the Blues. The Blades pushed forward with real intent in search of an equaliser late on, and managed to get it via McBurnie.

How the game unfolded

Chelsea, as expected, dominated the opening exchanges and deservedly took the lead inside the opening 10 minutes. The goal would come courtesy of veteran Thiago Silva, who capitalised on some typically lax defending from Sheffield United to volley home a Conor Gallagher corner kick delivery.

Thiago Silva almost went from hero to villain ten minutes later when his attempted back pass was cut out by Oli McBurnie. The striker found his striking partner Ben Brereton Diaz with a clever pass, however the ex-Blackburn man was unable to convert his effort on goal.

That chance sparked Sheffield United into life in the offensive third, and they were rewarded for their efforts with an equaliser on the half hour mark. A wonderful slide through ball in behind the Chelsea defence from Gustavo Hamer found the onrushing Jayden Bogle, who saw his subsequent shot-cum-cross befuddle Djordje Petrovic at his near post and find its way into the back of the net.

Buoyed by that equaliser, the Blades took control of the game at the start of the second half, with both McBurnie and Hamer coming close to making it 2-1 before the hour mark.

The home side were made to rue those missed chances in the 67th minute when, against the run of play, Chelsea retook the lead. Chelsea's second goal would come courtesy of Noni Madueke who, after cutting in from the right flank, cannoned the ball into the roof of the net.

Sheffield United pressed forward with real intent late in the game in search of a goal; and they got exactly that in the 93rd minute of the game.

After some calamitous defending from the Blues backline, a flick-on header from Cameron Archer looped over the hapless Chelsea defence and directly into the path of McBurnie in the six yard box. The 27-year-old made no mistake with his volleyed effort when given the chance, firing low into the bottom left corner of the net.

Sheffield United player ratings (3-5-2)

GK: Ivo Grbic - 5/10 - Couldn't do too much about either goal he conceded.

CB: Mason Holgate - 5/10 - One of the many players to have struggled up against Palmer in recent months.

CB: Anel Ahmedhodzic - 6/10 - Contained Jackson quite well throughout, winning five duels.

CB: Jack Robinson - 5/10 - Couldn't really get near Madueke for much of the game.

RWB: Jayden Bogle - 7/10 - Scored Sheffield United's goal, and cause problems in the final third with his runs in behind on more than one occasion.

CM: Gustavo Hamer - 8/10 - Played a wonderful through ball in the lead up to Sheffield United's goal. The Blades' best player on the day.

CM: Ollie Arblaster - 6/10 - The 19-year-old put in a shift in the middle of the park, winning 100% of his tackles.

CM: Ben Osborn - 6/10 - Won six duels in a fiery midfield battle.

LM: Auston Trusty - 5/10 - Not as effective as Bogle on the other side.

ST: Oli McBurnie - 8/10 - Caused problems with his hold up play and physicality. Deservedly scored late on.

ST: Ben Brereton Diaz - 5/10 - Missed a good chance in the first half.

Substitutes

SUB: James McAtee (76' for Holgate) - 6/10

SUB: Cameron Archer (87' for Trusty) - N/A

SUB: Vinicius de Souza Costa (90' for Robinson) - N/A

Manager - Chris Wilder - 7/10 - His team never lacked belief for a second of the game on Sunday, working their socks off to get a point.

Chelsea player ratings (4-3-3)

GK: Djordje Petrovic - 4/10 - Made a calamity of Bogle's goal. Chelsea need a lot of new players, and a goalkeeper is certainly one of them.

RB: Axel Disasi - 5/10 - Didn't offer much in the final third, but defended relatively well.

CB: Trevoh Chalobah - 7/10 - The defender impressed, winning seven duels and recovering the ball seven times for his team.

CB: Thiago Silva - 7/10 - Scored a nice opening goal for his side at one end, then almost gifted Sheffield at goal at the other. Aside from those two flashpoints, he was very solid, winning 100% of his tackles and clearing the ball eight times.

LB: Marc Cucurella - 3/10 - Completely asleep in the lead up to Sheffield United's goal. A typical Cucurella outing really.

CM: Moises Caicedo - 5/10 - Still a bit too sloppy in possession at times, but worked hard defensively throughout.

CM: Enzo Fernandez - 5/10 - Didn't effect proceedings at all, losing six duels in the middle of the park.

CM: Conor Gallagher - 7/10 - Bagged an assist for Thiago Silva's goal, and provided Chelsea with energy in midfield.

RW: Noni Madueke - 7/10 - Chelsea's best player in the final third. The youngster scored a wonderful goal.

ST: Nicolas Jackson - 5/10 - Worked hard but didn't provide much quality up top.

LW: Cole Palmer - 7/10 - Not quite at the levels he showed on Thursday night, but still got an assist and was generally quite good on the day.

Substitutes

SUB: Carney Chukwuemeka (74' for Palmer) - 5/10

SUB: Mykhailo Mudryk (82' for Madueke) - N/A

SUB: Benoit Badiashile (90' for Jackson) -N/A

SUB: Cesare Casadei (90' for Cucurella) - N/A

Manager - Mauricio Pochettino - 5/10 - His team looked flat on Sunday, and his defensive substitutes late on ultimately didn't work.

Player of the match: Oli McBurnie (Sheffield United)

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