Relegation for Sheffield United
Wigan Athletic and West Ham United Avoid the Drop from Premiership
The relegation battle went to the last kick as West Ham won at Old Trafford and Wigan Athletic defeated Sheffield United to condemn them to the drop from the Premiership
Relegation beckoned for three clubs this afternoon but in a nail biting exchange over ninety plus minutes, West Ham United survived alongside Wigan Athletic the team which seemed most likely to go down at the start of the day.
Sheffield United returned to the Championship after one year, having been ten points clear of relegation a few months ago.
West Ham United needed a point for survival but confounded critics by defeating the Champions, Manchester United, at Old Trafford, to complete a League ‘double’ over them. United fielded a weakened team with Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs on the bench but they dominated the first half and it was against the run of play that West Ham took a shock lead in added time at the end of the first half. Carlos Tevez, the Argentine around whom there has been so much controversy, scored the vital goal. In the second half United strengthened the team with substitutions but could not score. So the Champions lost at home and West Ham survived.
At Bramall Lane, Sheffield both teams were under pressure but Wigan Athletic the more so as they had to win. It looked an unlikely prospect as their recent performances had been so poor. However, they had the perfect start, deservedly scoring after fourteen minutes through Paul Scharner. In a close tense game Sheffield United managed to level five minutes before half-time when Jon Stead bravely headed in a cross from Phil Jagielka.
Unfortunately for Jagielka he conceded a penalty for handball in injury time at the end of the half and David Unsworth who had started the season with United scored from the spot for Wigan.
Fortunes ebbed and flowed throughout the second half – Paddy Kenny in the United goal made an important save, then United hit the post when through one on one with the goalkeeper, Wigan had a player sent off and had to play the last fifteen minutes with ten players.
It wasn’t to be Sheffield United’s day – they lost and were relegated on goal difference, one goal worse off than Wigan.
West Ham United climbed to fifteenth place above Fulham and Wigan.
Controversy still surrounds the relegation issue. The clubs at the bottom feel aggrieved at the League’s decision not to deduct points from West Ham over the irregularities in their transfer of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano last summer. They are threatening to take legal action but only time will tell.
Another, unspoken concern, is the part Liverpool and Manchester United played in the relegation issue by fielding weakened teams against sides involved in the battle to avoid the dreaded drop. Fulham benefited last week and West Ham United were the benefactors today – three points, thank you very much.
Football used to be about winning every game you played, not now if you are a ‘big’ team with more important games ahead.
