Hamza Choudhury produced a vital goal line block as Sheffield United came from behind to beat Blackburn Rovers 2-1 in the Championship.
The Blades struggled early in the game as Blackburn controlled much of the first half. Kristi Montgomery gave the hosts the lead after 20 minutes with a powerful finish from outside the box.
Sheffield United did not manage a serious effort for the opening 34 minutes. But the visitors quickly changed the game.
Sydie Peck created the equaliser in the 35th minute. He played a fine pass through to Tom Cannon, who calmly finished under goalkeeper Aynsley Pears.
Peck then completed the turnaround himself just before halftime. He collected Joe Rothwell’s pass, flicked the ball over Tom Atcheson and fired into the bottom corner.
Blackburn pushed hard for an equaliser after the break.
Their biggest chance came in the 57th minute. The ball dropped to Dapo Afolayan from close range with only Choudhury standing between him and the goal.
The Bangladesh international made a remarkable block on the goal line to keep Sheffield United ahead.
Goalkeeper Michael Cooper also made important saves as Blackburn continued to put the visitors under pressure.
Sheffield United eventually held on for their second win in three Championship matches. The victory took them to ninth place with nine points from six games.
Blades manager Chris Wilder praised the fighting spirit of his players and also mentioned Choudhury’s effort.
“I asked for the players to dig in, scramble about, do jobs that some of them are not used to doing,” Wilder said.
“You could see Hamza was absolutely shot after the game he’s played.”
Wilder added: “I asked for a gritty performance that represents me, the club, the city, and our team and we got that.”
