Five things we learned in Sheffield United vs Bristol City as Blades seal Wembley visit with convincing victory

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Here is what we learned as Sheffield United dispatched Bristol City at Bramall Lane.

Sheffield United find themselves in the Championship play-off final after recording a 3-0 victory at Bramall Lane against Bristol City.

Kieffer Moore’s header from a corner put the Blades into the lead on the night, with the goal putting Sheffield United 4-0 up on aggregate.

Gus Hamer then followed on the scoresheet by scoring from outside the box, albeit with a helpful deflection to take it past Max O’Leary to give the Blades an unassailable advantage.

To put the nail in the coffin, Callum O’Hare notched the Blades’ third goal of the net to make it 6-0 aggregate.

After such a game, here is what we learned as Chris Wilder’s side confirm their spot in the final at Wembley…

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Gustavo Hamer performance reflects on why he was named as Player of the Season

If any Blades fans were still apprehensive over their chances of securing their place in the Championship play-off final, Gustavo Hamer’s strike to put Sheffield United 2-0 up on the night was surely enough to put those worries to bed.

The Sheffield United midfielder was named as the Championship Player of the Season, and whilst onlookers believe it to be a ridiculous call for him to be rewarded with such an accolade, this performance showed that the influence he has in this Blades side reflects on the fact that it was deserved.

His goal may have been helped in with a fortunate deflection, but it doesn’t take away from his performance, having set the tempo of the game for large quantities, whilst always looking capable of springing Sheffield United into action.

Max O’Leary should have imposed himself more ahead of Kieffer Moore goal

Sheffield United’s opener saw a corner find the head of Kieffer Moore, who was able to tower over the Bristol City defence and hammer home to give the Blades the lead, with such a goal severely dampening the Robins’ slim hopes of an aggregate victory.

Whilst there was a minor shirt pull from Tom Cannon on Max O’Leary, the Bristol City shot-stopper could have imposed himself more in such a situation, with Moore’s free header ultimately coming from the goalkeeper being unable to reach it as opposed to it being a defensive mishap.

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Harrison Burrows continues to shine in Blades set-up

There has never been any doubt over Harrison Burrows’ ability, whether it be his defensive capabilities or eagerness to make things happen in the final third, and he certainly went further to stamp his authority on this second leg.

Burrows put in a highly energetic performance, one that he was clearly going to influence, and that moment came before the interval after he sent in an inch-perfect delivery to meet Moore’s head to give the Blades a one-goal lead (four on aggregate).

As a young prospect who was only playing in League One last season, Burrows has plenty of promise, and this performance showed exactly that.

Scott Twine inclusion gave Bristol City extra threat going forward

It was a blow for Bristol City to lose Joe Williams to injury during the first leg against Sheffield United, however, such an absence meant that Manning ultimately opted to utilise Scott Twine.

Bristol City attacking midfielder Twine was an unused substitute in the first leg, but Manning throwing him into the side gave the Robins an extra dimension when threatening in the early stages.

This meant that the slightly more offensive midfield pairing of Max Bird and Jason Knight also played progressively, but just from further back, something which looked as though it could have threatened Sheffield United.

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Sheffield United did brilliantly to squeeze life out of Bristol City’s attack

In the early knockings of the contest, it looked as though Bristol City had arrived at Bramall Lane with the clear intention of giving the Blades a tough contest, and they most certainly did start in that manner.

Scott Twine had an opportunity from inside the box, but he opted to play it on with an intricate flick that couldn’t find a fellow player in the Robins’ ranks.

Sheffield United required a passage of play that would significantly slow down the game, and they managed to do just that, taking the wind out of Bristol City’s sails, and in turn giving the Blades the momentum, which resulted in Moore’s goal from the corner to put them out of sight.