Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder challenged the notion that his team are the “worst in the world” after drawing with Bournemouth on Saturday.
The Blades were denied their fourth win of the Premier League campaign despite going two goals up at Dean Court.
Dominic Solanke missed a penalty in the first half and had a goal ruled out by VAR, but the Cherries did eventually find the net, first through Dando Ouattara before Enes Unal equalised in injury time.
Despite the bitterly disappointing end result, Wilder was pleased with how his troops bounced back from Monday’s 6-0 hammering at the hands of Arsenal as Sheffield United moved off the bottom of the table.
“We needed that performance first and foremost,” he told BBC Match of the Day. “Mixed emotions. The players were putting bodies everywhere. The physical aspect of it in the Premier League you have to be right up there.
“There’s a lot to that performance but physically we were out on our feet. We found that bit extra to get a result.
“We all had to stand up. This has been one of the hardest weeks we have had in football after what happened on Monday night.
“It wasn’t a free-flowing performance, we dug in there and hung in there.
“It is just the consistency as well. When teams do what they do to you, like Villa for half an hour and Arsenal for 45 minutes, they tear you apart and the gulf becomes enormous. There’s a lot of moving parts to this season. I think pundits take the easy way out saying they are the worst team in the Premier League, but you have to look at the injuries and in terms of being able to put a consistent side out.
“We are off the bottom, we will enjoy that. I am not jumping through hoops and no medals are being handed out for being off the bottom. We have to show the consistency.”
Wilder then commented on the “narrative” surrounding his club and the other teams in the relegation battle.
“There is the narrative isn’t there? That Sheffield United are the worst team in the world, Burnley are waiting to kick in and Luton are going for Europe – that seems to be the narrative.
“Luton have done fantastically well and I have a lot of admiration for what Vincent Kompany has done, but that’s the narrative.”
Fantasy Premier League – How to get the most out of your chips
