The fourth official indicates four additional minutes at the end of the match for stoppages.
89'
C. Dawson enters the game and replaces N. Chalobah.
An extra defender comes on as Chalobah is recalled to the bench, with Dawson getting a chance to see out the match.
88'
N. Chalobah gets yellow.
Chalobah is booked on his way off the pitch for wasting time during the substitution
87'
United look to continue to pile on the pressure with a quickly taken corner, but the referee whistles play dead as there appeared to be a foul in the penalty area during the delivery. Watford are given a free-kick.
82'
Pereyra wins his side a free-kick in a dangerous area just outside the penalty area in a central position after going on a driving run and falling under O’Connell’s challenge. Hughes and Deulofeu stand over it - with both very capable of delivering an accurate set-piece.
80'
A. Gray enters the game and replaces T. Deeney.
Pearson won’t give Deeney a chance to win the match for his side in the final 10 minutes, as Gray is selected to replace him.
77'
The second half has seen a total of just one shot on target, coming from Sheffield United. Despite a victory still more than possible with 15 minutes remaining, Watford have been very poor, failing to get Deeney involved at all. He’s an influential figure on the pitch, but he has been totally unable to make any kind of mark thus far.
74'
Deulofeu gets yellow.
Deulofeu is booked for having a little bit too much to say to the referee before a Sheffield United corner.
73'
After a lovely bit of passing from left to right around the Watford penalty area, Stevens finds an opening to have a crack at the near post. It’s a low, hard shot which is met by the hand of Foster and turned past for a corner.
Minute
Description
71'
Stevens’ cross from the left is blocked, which invites Norwood to have a speculative shot at goal from a considerable distance out. As expected, it rises high above the goal - but it was worth the effort in a match that has really tightened up.
69'
Hughes’ free-kick from the left curls back in for the run of Cathcart, but the slightest of touches by a United player puts the ball off the Watford defender’s chest and out for a goal-kick.
67'
Deulofeu draws the ire of United after taking Baldock down with a somewhat rash challenge, before waving for the winger to get back to his feet. The match has become somewhat chippy in the last 10 minutes, with both sides desperate for all three points.
63'
L. Mousset enters the game and replaces O. McBurnie.
Mousset enters the fray with just under 30 minutes remaining - replacing McBurnie in attack.
61'
Cathcart's lovely delivery from centre-back gets the ball over the top of the United defence for Deulofeu to attack. The goal scorer's square pass for Deeney at the near post is immediately cut out by Basham who knocks it out for a corner.
59'
Pereyra goes down after Fleck and Stevens combine to try and win possession back from the Watford substitute. He wins his side a free-kick, which once again breaks up play. It’s been a disjointed second half thus far, with neither side able to create anything of quality.
54'
Fleck chests it down outside the Watford 18-yard box and takes a couple of touches before firing an off-balance effort which trickles well wide of goal.
52'
Hughes attempts to whack the ball clear from inside his penalty area, but the clearance ricochets off of Stevens and falls perfectly for Lundstram at the edge of the penalty area. Fearing a lack of time, the midfielder winds up and smashes a textbook volley at goal, which sails high above the frame of Foster’s net.
50'
Chalobah carries the ball towards the edge of United’s penalty area, but it all becomes a bit crowded as the disguised pass for Pereyra is immediately cut out. It looks as though the substitute will play a slightly more central role than the man he replaced; providing Deeney someone to interchange with.
48'
Stevens lays the ball off for O'Connell down the right, but the centre-back's eagerness leads to an extremely heavy first touch - putting the ball behind for a Watford goal-kick.
46'
R. Pereyra enters the game and replaces I. Sarr.
C. Cathcart gets yellow.
A change before kick-off sees Pereyra replace Sarr in a change that looked likely in the first half.
Baldock gets to the loose ball down the right wing just ahead of Cathcart, who goes sliding in anyways. It's a yellow card for the centre-back, who will now have to show more restraint in the second half.
Sheffield United get the match restarted from the kick-off!
45' +5
HALF-TIME: SHEFFIELD UNITED 1-1 WATFORD.
45' +3
Fleck cuts inside from the left and floats a right-footed cross into Lundstram, but it hangs in the air for too long - failing to give the United number seven a chance to attack it.
45' +1
United win a corner from Kabasele, who was forced to come across and defend thanks to Mariappa’s loss of possession. O’Connell won the ball back from the right-back far too easily inside the Watford penalty area, but his low cross is put out by the covering centre-back.
44'
The fourth official indicates five additional minutes for stoppages at the end of the first half.
42'
Sarr is back to his feet but the left side of his face appears to be swollen, and he seems slightly dazed as he comes off the pitch. It had looked as though Pearson wouldn’t risk it and send Pereyra on, but the winger has re-entered the pitch and looks intent to continue.
40'
Sarr is down on the pitch being looked at by the medical staff as there appears to be an issue with the left side of his face. The winger appears to have fallen awkwardly following the earlier O’Connell intervention - and his day might be over as Pereyra warms up on the touchline.
38'
Sarr beats O’Connell for pace down the right, but the centre-back somehow manages to reassert himself after being left behind and manages to take enough of the sting out of the eventual cross for Henderson to collect easily!
36'
Penalty goal scored by O. Norwood for Sheffield United!
NO MISTAKE FROM NORWOOD WHO MAKES IT 1-1! The captain steps up and smashes his right-footed penalty into the bottom-left corner! Foster had no chance!
33'
Mariappa gives it away down the right which gifts United the possibility to get forward. The Watford right-back has had a relatively poor day despite his side taking the lead.
31'
O’Connell puts a left-footed cross into the penalty area from the left, but it continues to curl away from Lundstram, and goal as it rolls behind disappointingly for a goal-kick.
29'
Play is stopped almost immediately after the goal as Kabasele is down and requiring treatment following his tussle with McGoldrick. He should be good to continue, and the pause gives Watford a chance to breathe and get back into shape following the goal.
27'
Deulofeu has scored a goal for Watford! Assist by N. Chalobah.
WATFORD TAKE THE LEAD! 1-0! It’s as simple as you could imagine as Foster’s long kick is flicked on in midfield by Chalobah. Deulofeu latches onto it in United's half, beats the centre-backs for pace and finishes coolly into the bottom-right corner!
Chalobah managed to rise just slightly higher than the man marking him in midfield, giving Deulofeu enough time to run onto the ball. It’s the assist, though the goal scorer still had a lot to do.
25'
The referee allows play to continue despite calls for a Watford handball in midfield - which gives Sarr a chance to break through the Blades' defence and into the penalty area. The winger takes an extremely heavy first touch though, allowing Henderson to gather the loose ball.
21'
A host of Watford players are calling for a handball on the edge of the United penalty area, but the referee disagrees, instead giving the home side a free-kick for a push committed by Deulofeu. Basham seems to be slightly fortunate, as the lofted pass did look to hit his hand on the way down.
19'
Watford put the ball into the net as Fleck turns it past Foster following a Basham pass across the face of goal, but VAR confirms the call on the field - that the right-sided centre-back did not manage to stay onside when receiving Lundstrum’s pass in the build-up. No goal, it remains 0-0.
17'
Stevens cuts inside and fires a pass over the top of Mariappa for McGoldrick, who somehow manages to latch onto the pass hit over his shoulder and put a decent delivery into the penalty area - which forces Watford to defend.
15'
McGoldrick attempts an overhead kick on the shoulder of Mariappa, trying to turn Norwood’s cross goalwards, but his missed attempt is chalked off anyways as the striker was in an offside position.
13'
Sarr forces Stevens to defend as he takes him on before firing a cross in for the run of Deeney. Henderson steps off his line to catch, involving himself for the first time today.
7'
Neither side have been able to construct anything with their passages of possession in the opening 10 minutes, with most of the play being kept in midfield. The Blades seem slightly more assured, though the raucous home support certainly helps.
5'
Watford’s typical back four is going to have all kinds of problems today dealing with what has become United's signature style of overlapping centre-backs. The hosts attack at odd and unusual angles due to the shape of their XI, with most sides wholly unsure of how to combat the unique approach. The communication between Kabasele and Cathcart will be crucial.
3'
Watford have been woefully poor in the opening stages of matches, going behind early at an alarmingly regular rate. Pearson will no doubt have instructed his side to just settle in and get their feet under them on a wet and soggy day at Bramall Lane.
1'
Watford get the match underway from the kick-off!
Hello and welcome to our LIVE commentary of the Premier League fixture between Sheffield United and Watford!
Sheffield United have been a breath of fresh air since winning promotion from the Championship at the end of last season, with their unique overlapping centre-backs confounding defences every week. The Blades have strung three wins together on the bounce, rocketing them up the table into sixth place - though a win today would put them above Tottenham and into fifth. There is a very real chance that Chris Wilder could have his squad in a Champions League place by the end of the calendar year; an unprecedented situation for a club that were playing in England’s second tier only eight months ago.
It’s been a trying season for Watford, who find themselves bottom of the Premier League, six points from Southampton in 17th. The Hornets possess the worst scoring record in the top flight (11 scored in 18 matches, as well as the lowest goal differential at -21. Newly appointed Nigel Pearson sparked Watford into only their second win of the domestic campaign - a 2-0 win over Manchester United - though it’s going to take a lot more consistency from today’s visitors to avoid relegation.
With 15 minutes to go before kick-off, let's take a look at the team news, starting with the hosts!
WATFORD SUBS: Heurelho Gomes, Andre Gray, Roberto Pereyra, Isaac Success, Craig Dawson, Tom Dele-Bashiru, Domingos Quina.
WATFORD XI (4-2-3-1): Ben Foster; Kiko, Craig Cathcart, Christian Kabasele, Adrian Mariappa; Nathaniel Chalobah, Etienne Capoue; Gerard Deulofeu, Will Hughes, Ismaila Sarr; Troy Deeney.
SHEFFIELD UNITED SUBS: Michael Verrips, Callum Robinson, Lys Mousset, Phil Jagielka, Muhamed Besic, Billy Sharp, Luke Freeman.
SHEFFIELD UNITED XI (3-5-2): Dean Henderson; Chris Basham, John Egan, Jack O’Connell; George Baldock, John Lundstram, Oliver Norwood, John Fleck, Enda Stevens; Oliver McBurnie, David McGoldrick.
An update that due to health and safety reasons - kick-off between Sheffield United and Watford will be delayed by 10 minutes. The players have not yet made their way onto the pitch just yet, but they are expected soon.
The players have made their way out of the Bramall Lane tunnel and onto the pitch! Kick-off will follow shortly!
With Southampton leading Chelsea in their match at half-time, the gap between Watford and safety temporarily stretches to seven points as things stand. Pearson will have to show impetus in the second half as the away side, hitting on the counter with much more frequency. With Gray and Pereyra on the bench, the Hornets have the options required to change a match, though it won't be easy against a Blades unit that have conceded the fewest Premier League goals outside of Liverpool and Leicester City.
That concludes our Premier League commentary of the fixture between Sheffield United and Watford! We hope you enjoyed it!
Sheffield United close out the calendar year away at Manchester City on December 29, while Watford host Aston Villa on the 28th.
Commentary
More…