<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
(function (src, d, tag){
var s = d.createElement(tag), prev = d.getElementsByTagName(tag)[0];
s.src = src;
prev.parentNode.insertBefore(s, prev);
}(“https://www.dailymail.co.uk/static/gunther/1.17.0/async_bundle–.js”, document, “script”));
<!–
DM.loadCSS(“https://www.dailymail.co.uk/static/gunther/gunther-2159/video_bundle–.css”);
<!–
Sheffield United‘s return to the Premier League has lasted just one season after their relegation was confirmed on Saturday afternoon.
Needing a victory at Newcastle to keep their faint hopes alive, the Blades were blunted at St James’ Park as they were beaten 5-1.
The Blades took the lead just five minutes into the game through Anel Ahmedhodzic, before Alexander Isak levelled halfway through the first half.
The Blades’ slim hopes of survival were extinguished in the second half as Bruno Guimaraes put Newcastle ahead, before Isak completed his brace by converting a penalty seven minutes later.
The visitors conceded again shortly afterward as Ben Osborn’s deflected one into his own net, before Callum Wilson added a fifth only minutes later.
Going into the game, Chris Wilder’s side were 10 points below the safety zone with four matches left and now they can not mathematically overturn that.
The Bramall Lane outfit have 16 points from 35 matches in what has been a season of struggle.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s clash, Wilder said: ‘Through good times, we all enjoy it and we are all willing to take that credit when it happens.
‘And you have to own and suffer and take responsibility for the times when there is a little bit of pain.
‘As a club, there is humility. A lot of humble people. We’ve had a poor season, that’s there for all to see.’
Wednesday night’s 4-2 defeat at Manchester United meant they have conceded the most goals ever in a 38-game Premier League season.
The Blades could still threaten the unwanted record set in 42 games.
Back-to-back defeats conceding four goals, with the Old Trafford game coming on the back of a 4-1 loss to Burnley, isn’t the lowest ebb of a difficult campaign – which includes a 5-0 defeat at the Clarets in December.
They have also lost 5-0 to Aston Villa, Brighton and Arsenal, with the Gunners additionally beating them 6-0 last month, while they were most memorably thumped 8-0 by Newcastle in September.
They are only the third team in Premier League history to concede five goals or more on six occasions in the same season and are keeping dangerous company in that category.
Derby’s 11-point season in 2007-08 lives on in Premier League history – their record low points total was accompanied by the worst ever goal difference, -69, while the 89 goals they conceded was the record for a 38-game season until the Blades hit 92 with Wednesday night’s loss. Derby lost 6-2 and 5-0 to Arsenal, 6-0 to Liverpool and Aston Villa, 5-0 to West Ham and 6-1 at Chelsea.
Wilder’s side are only goals away from being the second Premier League team to concede 100 in a season, after Swindon in 42 games in 1993-94. The Robins lost 5-0 to Liverpool and Villa, 5-1 at Southampton, 6-2 at Everton and 7-1 at Newcastle. Ipswich conceded 93 in 42 games in 1994-95.
United’s average of 2.77 conceded per game has them on course for a record 105. Their goal difference, at an average of 1.8-. per game, projects to come in at -68, above Derby’s record at -66.
At less than half a point-per-game, they need at least four from their remaining three games to avoid becoming the seventh team to finish with less than 20. Sunderland managed just 19 in 2002-03 and 15 in 2005-06, Portsmouth 19 in 2009-10, Villa 17 in 2015-16, Huddersfield 16 in 2018-19 and Derby the record 11.
