Sheffield United 0-1 Arsenal – Premier League: Live score, team news and updates as Martin Odegaard gives Gunners lead inside five minutes

Martin Odegaard is in the mood tonight.

He has his goal but is already after another, however, after trying to find space just outside the area he fires his strike over the bar.

I reckon I could count how many times Sheffield United have touched the ball on one hand.

The worst possible start for the Blades.

I did say I felt it was going to happen.

Sheffield United were warned early, but it didn’t make a difference, Martin Odegaard has put Arsenal ahead after just five minutes.

It’s a brilliant goal, a flowing move sees Declan Rice put it on a plate for Odegaard to finish home from close range.

It feels like a matter of how many will Arsenal score.

Arsenal nearly ahead after 70 seconds!

Bukayo Saka has been in marvellous form and he has just crashed a half-volley off the bar.

Arsenal showing their intentions straight away, that would have been an awful start for the hosts.

Sheffield United 11 points from safety, Arsenal five points off the top, both need to win, but only one can. Who will it be?

Well, Bramall Lane is in good voice, they will help there team as much as they can.

Who will come out on top? We will find out over the course of the next 90 minutes.

The heads pop out the tunnel, the music is blaring out, and both teams look raring to go.

It will be interesting to see how both sides come out of the traps here. I feel an early Arsenal goal inbound.

Dominic King, Mail Sport, at Bramall Lane:

Music from Rocky is blaring out in the moments before kick-off but you don’t get the sense a knockout punch is coming from the hosts.

Sheffield United fans seem to be wearily accepting their fate now and it is going to be a question of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’ they get relegated.

There are plenty of empty seats (will that change in the next 10 minutes?) but it’s difficult to see anything other than Arsenal winning here by more than three goals.

Ian Ladyman, Mail Sport Football Editor, at Bramall Lane:

I was talking to Mail Sport’s Danny Murphy in the press room beforehand and he was saying how big the Bramall Lane pitch always felt to him when he played here. These things can sometimes be a trick of the mind – there is not a huge discrepancy between any of the pitches in the Premier League – but Murphy’s point was that the top clubs would always rather come and play at a place like this than they would at somewhere like Luton’s Kenilworth Road.

The rain that started about an hour ago is just settling down and this great old stadium is starting to fill up.

I can’t help but feel that Sheffield United will need a fast start here if they are to stay with Mikel Arteta’s in-form Arsenal side.

So, what are we all thinking?

Will Arsenal blow Sheffield United away, or is there going to be a shock on the cards?

Ian Ladyman, Mail Sport Football Editor, has gone for 2-1 to Arsenal. Ian smashed his prediction yesterday at the Manchester Derby, so it’s a good omen for Arsenal fans!

The big team news for Arsenal is that Thomas Partey has returned to the squad.

Partey was a key member of the team that finished second last season but hasn’t featured for the Gunners since October because of injury.

How important is it that he gets some minutes in those legs?

Sheffield United fans will be happy to see Ben Brereton-Diaz return to the squad tonight, and it looks like he is happy to be there.

The Villarreal loanee has scored two goals in three Premier League appearances but has missed the Blades’ last four matches through injury.

Well, he’s back now, will he make a difference off the bench?

I have mentioned a lot in this blog about Arsenal’s recent form and goal-scoring prowess, and well, it’s been so good that they could break a record tonight.

In Arsenal’s last two Premier League away games they netted 11 goals without response, beating West Ham 6-0 and winning 5-0 at Burnley.

No club has ever won three consecutive away games by a margin of 5+ goals in England’s top four tiers, but Arsenal will be looking to change that tonight.

There is a distinct possibility that they could.

Chris Wilder, Sheffield United manager, speaking to Sky Sports:

We will go to the final whistle on the final day. We need to give our fans something to shout about.

On Mikel Arteta’s kind comments towards him:

Has he (Mikel Arteta) been on the red wine? They are an outstanding team, we know what we are up against. We have to enjoy it, enjoy the challenge.

I know on nights like this, this place can get going. We understand the task ahead.

Arsenal love scoring goals.

They have been netting them for fun this season and put five past the Blades last time they faced off.

Eddie Nketiah had a field day at the Emirates, netting his first Premier League hat-trick that day.

Can they replicate this scoreline today?

Ian Ladyman, Mail Sport Football Editor, at Bramall Lane:

The teams are in here at a cold Bramall Lane and Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is back in the squad – and on the bench – for the first time since last October. That’s a huge boost for Mikel Arteta as we approach the final furlong of a three-horse title race.

In the programme tonight, meanwhile, Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder has called on his players to be almost perfect between now and the end of the season as they try to plot a miracle escape from last place.

Wilder’s team have not won at home since beating Brentford here early in Wilder’s second stint at the club at the start of December.

One of the key reasons for Arsenal’s success this season has been the form of Bukayo Saka.

During the Gunners’ bad spell at the back end of 2023, Saka was one of the players who was under scrutiny. Question marks arose over his goal-scoring record, was it enough to drive them to a title.

He obviously listened, as he has been on a tear ever since. The 22-year-old has 20 goal involvements in the Premier League this campaign, with 13 of those goals. He is just one away from matching his goal tally from the whole of the 2022-23 league season.

A lot of those goals have come since the turn of the year, seven to be precise, and he has scored in each of his last five league games.

That is some form, will he notch up some more tonight?

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal boss, speaking to Sky Sports:

I was tempted [to make changes], but we believe it was the right thing to do [to not].

That’s the way we approach the game [thinking you can’t lose], you have to win every single game.

I raised the question, and now we have our answer, Arsenal remain unchanged.

You can understand why Mike Arteta has decided to keep it the same, the Gunners have been on a roll.

Thomas Partey returns to the bench for the first time since October at Chelsea.

So, Chris Wilder rolls the dice a little, he makes two changes to the side that lost 1-0 away at Wolves.

Tom Davies is one of those changes, and he comes in to make his first start for United.

Can he make a big impact?

The atmosphere at Bramall Lane is starting to build.

The Sheffield United players will need all the support they can get if they are to cause an upset tonight.

Blades fans can get that place rocking, I imagine they will again tonight.

We are just over ten minutes away from the team news.

Will Arsenal stay unchanged? What changes will Chris Wilder make?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

This graphic is not good reading for Sheffield United.

In the last six meetings between these two sides, Arsenal have won four to the Blades’ one, while there has been one draw.

The Gunners’ wins have come in the last four matches, including a 5-0 win, something they have a habit of doing this season.

However, Sheffield United’s win was a memorable one back in 2019. Lys Mousset, what a strike it was from the former Blade to win it. A special moment in United’s top-flight history.

As 2023 came to a close, Arsenal started to falter.

With losses to both West Ham and Fulham in the league before losing in the FA Cup to Liverpool just after the new year, questions were asked about their Premier League title credentials.

Oh boy, have they answered them…

Since that loss to Jurgen Klopp’s side in January, they have won six league matches on the trot, with one coming against the Reds.

They haven’t just been winning either, they have been doing it in style. They have netted five or more goals in three of those wins.

They are the form side in the league at the moment and could extend their winning run to seven in the league this evening.

Sheffield United’s return to the top flight could not have gone much worse, so far.

They are destined for relegation, sitting rock bottom of the table, 11 points from safety. It seems only a matter of time until there is an ‘R’ next to their name.

Nevertheless, every game they still have in the top flight is one of paramount importance, and the Blades players can’t give up hope yet.

They have 12 matches to save their season, and starting with tonight they simply need to consistently pick up three points.

We have seen great escapes in the past from the likes of West Brom and Leicester City, but it seems inconceivable that the Blades will replicate those. You never know though…

You just can’t take your eyes off this title race for a second.

Three teams are going hammer and tong in their relentless pursuit of English football’s greatest prize – it is magnificent to watch.

Tonight comes the turn of Arsenal, who currently sit in third position five points off league leaders Liverpool and four off Manchester City.

Over the weekend they had to watch the Reds seal a dramatic win right at the death against Nottingham Forest and City come from behind in emphatic style in the Manchester Derby.

During both matches, the Gunners and their fans will have undoubtedly got their hopes up that their rivals were about to drop points before they came crashing down at the final whistle.

However, they must focus on themselves tonight. The Gunners will be keen to secure another statement win, showing both Liverpool and City that they will fight to the very end.

I said yesterday that none of the three teams can afford to drop points, and that stands for tonight.

Both Arsenal and Sheffield United are in polar opposite positions at the moment.

While Arsenal are fighting for a first Premier League title in 20 years, the Blades are propping up the table and look destined for the drop.

With both of their records this season, we could see a lot of goals fly in this evening, but it is most likely they will come from the boots of the Gunners players.

Arsenal have been scoring goals for fun, netting 18 goals in their last four league games, as their incredible attack rips up Premier League defences.

Well, that should surely frighten the Blades as their defence has been getting torn apart all season. Chris Wilder’s side have conceded five goals in each of their last three matches at Bramall Lane. Simply abysmal.

They are en route to an unwanted record. No team in the history of English football’s top four divisions has lost three successive home games by five or more goals.

It feels like the perfect time to face Sheffield United.

With the amount of football being played at the moment, we are never away for long. Tonight we bring you a match that could have huge ramifications at the top and bottom of the Premier League.

It’s Sheffield United vs Arsenal. On paper, this looks like it could be a walk in the park for Arsenal against a side bottom of the league with only 13 points.

However, the Blades have reached the desperation stage and would do anything for a win. That can sometimes change how a game goes.

When you get to this part of the season, every point dropped or gained has such a huge impact on the teams involved.

Will Arsenal keep pace with Liverpool and Manchester City in the title race, or will the Blades keep their slender survival hopes alive with victory?

Let’s get this show on the road!