Sheffield Wednesday 2-4 Sheffield United: Blades win Steel City derby
Sheffield United gave their boss Chris Wilder the perfect 50th birthday present as they emphatically dismissed rivals Sheffield Wednesday 4-2 at Hillsborough.
Wilder, a lifelong Blade, reached his notable landmark on Saturday and it is a weekend he will remember forever as United won the first Steel City derby since 2012 in style.
United were 2-0 up inside 15 minutes through John Fleck and Leon Clarke before Wednesday rallied to level thanks to Gary Hooper and Lucas Joao.
But the Blades were not going to be denied a deserved three points and Mark Duffy's fine effort and Clarke's second - against his former club - gave the red half of Sheffield a first win at Hillsborough since 2006.
United are up to fourth in the Sky Bet Championship table and can be backed at 4/1 with the EFL sponsors for promotion.
Wednesday are on offer at 11/2 to go up as they sit in 10th.
Story of the odds
There were a couple of big RequestABet winners for Sky Bet punters.
- Clarke to score, Sheffield United to win, BTTS, 6+ Sheffield Wednesday corners and Basham to be carded - 66/1
- Clarke to score, Sheffield United to win, over 2.5 goals and Fleck to be carded - 40/1
United started as 3/1 outsiders with Sky Bet to claim victory. The Blades were as short as 2/7 to get the win when 2-0 up but went out to 3/1 after Wednesday pulled level at 2/2.
Wednesday went out from evens at kick-off to 25/1 for the win when 2-0 down early on. The Owls were 9/4 to get the three points after pulling level at 2-2.
Post-match reaction
Chris Wilder says it does not get any better than seeing his Sheffield United side win at local rivals Sheffield Wednesday.
Wilder said: "I don't think it gets any better. This was everything today for both clubs. To lead my team out in the fantastic atmosphere was a special experience and to cap it off with a wonderful performance throughout is great.
"I think we won it pretty comfortably and it was special for everyone at our football club. I thought we were a dangerous team, we produced a top class performance.
"I don't think you can put it into words. We have had it rammed down our throats over the last six years so it's nice to give the supporters something back.
"I never slept a wink for about seven days. It means everything today. It's the proudest moment of my career. To represent the club and to get the result is brilliant. We have had to swallow quite a lot over the last six years.
"It's a great day for us and we are going to enjoy it."
Sheffield Wednesday boss Carlos Carvalhal said his side were derailed by their poor start, but accepts ultimate responsibility.
"It was a game with very high emotions and in this kind of environment if you start losing after two minutes it makes us more nervous," he said.
"We were nervous because of their early goal and we did mistakes that we don't usually do. The beginning of the game gave us instability.
"At 2-2 I thought most of the people in the stadium and watching on television thought we would win but Sheffield United got the goal. It was very hard for us. We never usually make these mistakes.
"The mistakes that we did, it is my responsibility. I want all the pressure on me, not on the players.
"I want my players to stay away from the pressure. We lose together and I take maximum responsibility."
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