The Premier League is “too powerful” for Sheffield United to compete, manager Chris Wilder admitted after his side lost 4-1 to Burnley at Bramall Lane.
The Blades’ hopes of completing a great escape to remain in the top flight were left in tatters as they capitulated in Saturday’s relegation six-pointer.
Jacob Bruun Larsen and Lorenz Assignon scored in quick succession to give the Clarets a two-goal lead heading into halftime.
Gus Hamer pulled one back for Sheffield United six minutes after the restart, but the visitors kept them at arm’s length when Lyle Foster found the target shortly after.
Johann Berg Gudmundsson put the game beyond doubt with a well placed finished from just inside the box moments after coming off the bench, concluding a torrid afternoon for the Yorkshire outfit.
“It sums up our season,” Wilder told Sky Sports. “When we are close to our best we are competitive, as we were for the first 35 minutes. We should have been two or three up. Then all of a sudden in a heartbeat we are two down.
“Where does that come from? Individual mistakes, unit mistakes, lack of leadership – all of those three things rolled into one. There is a whole of things, not just today, pre-me, that are not right. The league is too powerful. Unfortunately you get exposed.
“When you come to a football club you have to assess pretty quickly what is needed. There has to be the medium and long-term build. We are preparing for games. There is a lack of leadership, quality, things we know and understand. For teams to be successful, these are things that need to be dealt with.”
The result leaves Sheffield United rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table on 16 points with just five games left to play. They are just the third side in English top-flight history to concede 50 goals at home in a single campaign.
Burnley are now on 23 points, three from safety but have played a game more than 17th-placed Nottingham Forest.
