Stop us if you’ve heard this one: Sheffield United got a second-half equalizer from Billy Sharp to sting Bournemouth.
This one came Sunday at Bramall Lane as part of a 2-1 Blades win over the Cherries, some 25 matchdays after his opening day leveller at the Vitality Stadium.
[ MORE: Watch full PL match replays ]
John Lundstram found the winner for the victorious Blades, getting an assist from ex-Cherries outcast Lys Mousset. United climbs into fifth with 39 points, two points behind Chelsea. The Blues have a match-in-hand.
Callum Wilson scored for Bournemouth, who remains two points clear of the drop zone.
Three things we learned
1. Death, taxes, and Billy Sharp equalizing versus Bournemouth: If Blades veteran striker Sharp leaves the side after one year, there’s a distinct possibility he walks away with two Premier League goals. Both would be equalizers against Bournemouth. The two points earned by those may be the difference in Sheffield United’s case for Europe. The four points dropped on their account could send Bournemouth to the Championship.
Sharp has scored two other goals against the Cherries in his career. They came in January and December of 2006 for Scunthorpe United in League One.
2006. Sharp has played against Bournemouth with three separate teams in the Top Three levels of English Football (Leeds United in the Championship, no goals).
2. Lucky charm Lundstram scores in new role: John Lundstram lost his place in the Starting XI when Blades added record signing Sander Berge, but that didn’t stop him from affecting the proceedings. Lundstram came on for Berge in the 61st minute to snap in his fourth league goal, and the Blades are 5-0 when he scores or assists this season.
3. Feisty affair extends off the field: Fourth official Jon Moss had a busy day, first having to okay a pitch soaked by Storm Ciara and then having to break up a clash caused by Storm Wilder. Blades boss Chris was upset by remonstrations after John Egan was whistled for a foul on Dan Gosling, and Cherries veteran Andrew Surman was ready to get in the mix.
[ READ: Wilder reacts to scrum, Top Four effort ]
A bit of a scuffle between Chris Wilder and Andrew Surman 😬 pic.twitter.com/ZDgyocODmW
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) February 9, 2020
Man of the Match: Sharp? United’s four best players on the day were either subs or subbed off: Berge, Lundstram, Sharp, Mousset. Team win.
A scrappy match early, Callum Wilson missed a back-post bid to make it 1-0 in the 11th minute.
Callum Wilson got his goal two minutes later, as Harry Wilson’s shot was blocked and his surname-sharing striker belted the rebound into the top of the goal.
The Blades’ Billy Sharp couldn’t find an equalizer from a very tight angle in the 15th minute.
One of the most notable moments from the rest of the half was a venomous slide tackle on Harry Wilson by Enda Stevens which earned a yellow card.
Chances were few and far between on a weather-hobbled day, but Blades found their way in stoppage time.
A sequence of control saw Oliver Norwood’s 45th minute hit turned off Nathan Ake but went wide of the frame and Aaron Ramsdale made a great save on the ensuing corner.
That’s when Sharp did his magic, located at the back post off another corner. He smashed home a pinball in the second minute of stoppage.
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John Egan was whistled for a foul after going boot-to-boot with Dan Gosling, leading to a touchline spat and yellow cards to Andrew Surman and Blades boss Chris Wilder.
Bournemouth’s Ryan Fraser earned a 61st-minute corner that Ake snapped just wide of the frame.
Henderson then stopped another Fraser bid, this one a 71st-minute rocket from about 10 yards. That helped set up the moment for Lundstram’s winner off an assist from ex-Bournemouth man Lys Mousset.