A DOUBLE FLECK-ER
But Chris is cool on Euro tour
CHRIS WILDER isn’t digging out his passport just yet, despite Sheffield United threatening to gatecrash the European spots.
The Blades are up to fifth in the Premier League, with nearly half of the season gone.
John Fleck’s first brace of his 403-match, 11-year career sealed this latest victory – United’s first back-to-back wins in the top flight in 13 years – before Jack Grealish botched a penalty to extinguish any hope of a Villa comeback.
Victory puts United just four points shy of fourth-placed Chelsea and has their fans dreaming of European tours next season. But Wilder is refusing to get carried away, despite this latest impressive performance.
“We’ve CAPTION: got 25 points from 17 which is really Tghoiosdi,”s Wthielder said, clearly avoiding taclkapabtiount tshteylEeuropean spots.
fo“Wr reegsoutltittraight today in the second half. It’s about the desire and attitude of these players. I do think people look at us as a pragmatic team but from a footballing point of view we played some great stuff and we do every week.
“None of our players look out of place.” Wilder was also happy about finally racking up successive wins. “Every point is so precious so six from six is massive,” he added. “We’re not going to have our own way for 95 minutes all the time but this was a big win.”
After a turgid first half the hosts clearly had words from Wilder still ringing in their ears as they came out of the traps for the second half and were soon toasting the opener.
Chris Basham cleverly flicked the ball into the path of John Lundstram and he laid it on a plate for Fleck to sidefoot past Tom Heaton inside the box.
A fine team move then started and finished with Fleck.
The Scot shimmied into the box and after a superb piece of improvisation David McGoldrick picked out Fleck who provided a deadly finish for the second.
When Grealish stepped up and leathered a spot-kick against the bar, it compounded Villa’s miserable afternoon.
Boss Dean Smith said: “I’m annoyed because we are better than what we showed.
“In the first half we frustrated United but I never felt we worked hard enough without the ball.
“I think they deserved to win because they were a little more enterprising.”