Sheffield Utd 0-5 Villa; Everybody happy? I’m not.

Well, of course I am with the result. How can you not be?

But I’m looking a bit deeper than that and I’m not in the slightest bit convinced by that game.

Hands up. My source went haywire just before the game, which meant I missed the first 20 minutes and the first two goals. I managed to sort it, only for it to go down again just before HT, which meant I missed the one just after the restart too. Colour me bloody livid, but that’s how it goes sometimes, isn’t it?

Anyway, I did manage to see most of it and I can’t say I thought much of it today.
I know what many of you are thinking.

“What the hell do you want Badger?”

And I know. Just call me Scrooge.

But I’m sorry, I’m here to say it how I see it.
And what I saw was a team where the words “they never laid a glove on us” has ever been more apt.
Sheffield were worse than woeful and I’m struggling to think of a worse capitulation in a game.
From what I saw, Villa were ticking over in second gear and just playing around Sheffield with ease. Apparently Wilder had assembled his eleven for the first time and wow, did it show.

In the second half, we dropped down into a tickover in first gear, which actually allowed Sheffield to make it look like they were making a game of it. That’s something else that annoyed me, along with some shocking defending in the 77th minute, where we were lucky to not concede.
They had another chance later, which I would have given, but it was called off via VAR. Even the line didn’t look parallel to the line marked out on the pitch, in my opinion, but in fairness, I’d have to see it again. The game couldn’t possibly be doing anything in our favour, could it?

I still don’t know who scored all the goals, but I think Ollie got one (good). I saw Bailey’s goal for our third and it was a lovely take and I saw Tielemans’ strike after he was unlucky just a minute earlier. I’m sure both players will have been encouraged by them.

Don’t get me wrong, it was a great win, which keeps us in the game.
But I can’t get away from thinking “what happened to that battling, tenacious side we faced at VP?” and I suspect the answer is that they know they’re finished.

It’s Man Utd on Sunday. A team who are 11 points below us, but with a very similar run of form of late and a team we really struggle to beat historically.
Do them, then I might believe we’re back.

But I’m afraid today has done very little to make me believe.