Joe Roberts

Sun 1 October 2023 11:35, UK

Micah Richards was left stunned by Sheffield United’s poor defence against West Ham United for Tomas Soucek’s goal.

Speaking on BBC Match Of The Day (30 September), the pundit was critical about the amount of space the Blades’ defence allowed the midfielder, who ran into the box and slotted home Michail Antonio’s pass.

The Hammers secured a 2-0 victory at the London Stadium, with Soucek’s goal cementing the win after Jarrod Bowen’s opener.

Richards said: “The amount of space that Soucek has got. There are players around him that can see [Soucek], but by the time they react, it’s too late.

“[Sheffield United] have conceded 19 goals, it’s too much. If you want to stay in the Premier League, they’ve got to tighten up at the back.”

Sharp

The Hammers looked much sharper than the Blades as they cruised to a convincing 2-0 victory against Paul Heckingbottom’s struggling side.

Any team would have fancied facing Sheffield United after their 8-0 thrashing at the hands of Newcastle, and David Moyes’ side welcomed the visitors with a professional and clinical performance.

Per SofaScore, the Blades made their fair share of chances, but with just two shots on target from 16 attempted, the cutting edge was just not there. West Ham meanwhile peppered Wes Foderingham’s goal with 9 shots on target, with Bowen’s and Soucek’s finishes the difference makers.

While Richards is correct to point to Sheffield United’s lack of organisation at the back, the Hammers were cutthroat and made plenty of penetrating runs into the box to challenge the back line. They exploited the spaces and capitalised on the defences’ tendency to drift away from their man.

Moyes will be thrilled to see his side cement their spot in seventh and make ground on Brighton above them after their 6-1 defeat to Aston Villa, but the Blades proved an easy challenge in the end.

In other West Ham news, a Hammers ace has wowed a Sky Sports journalist after a “classy” moment against Sheffield United.