Match Report
24 points separated the sides: Everton 15th on 40, Sheffield United 20th on 16. Everton had been over-performing their table position on recent form: 5th in the league over the last five rounds against 15th overall. Scoring rates set the scale: Everton 1.05 scored and 1.34 conceded per game, Sheffield United 0.92 and 2.74, with the league averaging 1.64.
Sheffield United entered with five losses in a row. Everton had banked 10 of the last 15 points on offer; Sheffield United, 0.
The head-to-head ledger counts 6 games: 3 Everton wins, 2 for Sheffield United, 1 draw, at 2.17 goals per meeting. The host's record in this fixture is thin — 17% of meetings won. Historically tight: 33% of the meetings went beyond two goals.
The match was played at Goodison Park in Liverpool (capacity 7,000). Everton led 1-0 at the break — the second half brought no more goals and it finished 1-0.