Match Report
On paper the standings were lopsided — Manchester United 8th with 60 points, Sheffield United 20th with 16, 44 apart. Per game in the league, Manchester United were scoring 1.5 and conceding 1.53, Sheffield United 0.92 and 2.74, against a competition average of 1.64 goals per team per game.
Three consecutive draws preceded this one for Manchester United, having scored in 15 consecutive games. Sheffield United had gone 9 games without a win.
6 meetings are on record — 4 won by Manchester United, 1 by Sheffield United, 1 drawn, at 3.5 goals per meeting. The host's record in this fixture is thin — 33% of meetings won. Expect goals on precedent — three or more in 83% of the meetings, and both sides scored in 67%.
Old Trafford in Manchester staged the fixture, a ground that holds 74,300. It was 1-1 at the break, and the second half added 4 goals for the 4-2 full-time score.