Oliver McBurnie proved the hero with a stoppage-time goal as a highly improved Sheffield United earned a 2-2 draw with Chelsea at Bramall Lane on Sunday.
Chelsea carried on from their remarkable 4-3 win against Manchester United, striking ahead with ease within 11 minutes. Conor Gallagher’s corner dropped onto the foot of an unmarked Thiago Silva, and the veteran Brazilian guided the ball into the bottom corner.
The visitors continued to dominate possession, but a mistake from Silva almost gifted an equaliser to Ben Brereton Diaz, showing they could not afford complacency. The Blues failed to heed that warning, and the increasing pressure from Sheffield United eventually yielded a deserved leveller, with Jayden Bogle squeezing in at the near post after a delicious pass from Gustavo Hamer.
Chelsea appeared troubled by the hosts’ blistering tempo after the restart, with chances for McBurnie and Hamer providing further fuel to the fervent home support. However, Sheffield United’s aggression allowed Cole Palmer to race forward on the break and feed Noni Madueke, who cut inside to power into the roof of the net and restore the away side’s lead.
The goal turned the momentum in Chelsea’s favour, but McBurnie poked in to save a point in the third minute of stoppage time, leaving the Blues disappointed to surrender the win and their outside chance of European qualification, while the result will be seen as a bright spark in an overall catastrophe of a season for the Yorkshire side.
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