Video Review: Sheffield United 1 Sunderland 2 - Wembley play-off final heartache for Blades - video Dailymotion

Yorkshire Post

The Yorkshire Post's Stuart Rayner and Leon Wobschall reflect on another day of Wembley agony for Sheffield United after they lose 2-1 to Sunderland in the Championship play-off final on May 24, 2025

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00:00She's reporting from Wembley on another disappointing occasion for Sheffield United.

00:15I think they sort of teased us there, Stuart, didn't they, for two-thirds of that game.

00:18But their tenth appearance in the playoffs, and unfortunately they've not managed to win

00:24a game.

00:25Yeah, I mean, they had some bad luck in the sense of their best player, Hamer, going

00:29off injured, then his replacement quickly after, and being down to ten men for the second

00:33goal, but ultimately it boiled down to them not taking their opportunities, didn't it?

00:37They were so much the better team in the first half, and only finished it 1-0.

00:41Goal disallowed for VAR, people will debate how much influence Vinnie Souza had on the

00:47goalkeeper, I think it was probably the right decision under the circumstances.

00:51And then a big chance for Andre Brooks, back midway through the second half, and you feel

00:57if he'd have taken that, then 2-0 at that stage wouldn't have been job done.

01:00But yeah, just that lack of ruthlessness, that inability to shut Tommy Watson down in the

01:08last minute has cost them.

01:09And, you know, it's a really cruel way for a game to end, but also for a season like this

01:14where they've won 92 points to end.

01:16But that's his life, you know, they've got to use this to inspire them to next season

01:22not go through the playoffs and go up automatically.

01:25And it'd be tough keeping the squad together and doing it, but it's sometimes the disappointments

01:30in sport that fuel you more than the good times, and that's the way they've got to use

01:34today, I guess.

01:35There was obviously the chance with Brooks, but the departure of Gus Hamer, who looked the

01:39best player on the pitch until he went off.

01:43That was a huge change in the narrative, wasn't it?

01:45Absolutely it was.

01:46But, you know, we said before the game that someone's benched with its big strength, you're

01:51going to get these challenges.

01:53It's just how you respond to them.

01:55And yeah, they'll look back with a few regrets, I think, tonight.

01:59But yeah, you do wonder what if Hamer being able to stay on for the whole game.

02:03He did brilliantly for the first goal, made it wonderfully.

02:06And he's obviously the class player in that team, so it was a really difficult blow to

02:12overcome.

02:12It was cruel because, obviously, it felt a little bit written in the stars.

02:15Tyrese Campbell, obviously, the first anniversary of his father's death shortly.

02:19Yeah.

02:20Unfortunately, everything was written in the stars in the end.

02:22For Sunderland, it's been a remarkable playoff story for them.

02:25Absolutely.

02:25I mean, you know, I think that's always the thing with these finals.

02:28You can always sort of write your own narrative from both sides.

02:30And that was definitely Sheffield United around Campbell.

02:33But for Sunderland, I guess, after the way they won the semi-final so dramatically,

02:37to do so again, I guess it's about their stickability and spirit when they've not been

02:43playing at their best.

02:44And that's what the game's about, isn't it?

02:45Making the most of what opportunities you have.

02:48And Sheffield United just didn't do that when they were on top.

Video Review: Sheffield United 1 Sunderland 2 - Wembley play-off final heartache for Blades

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