Frank Lampard’s verdict on Sheffield United and big penalty decisions as Coventry City take another step towards Premier League
Frank Lampard, the former England international, was full of respect for Sheffield United after his Coventry City side took another huge step towards the Premier League with victory at Bramall Lane tonight. The Blades went ahead through Harrison Burrows before the visitors hit back with two quickfire goals.
United were left bemoaning their own profligacy but also key decisions from ref John Busby which went against them, with Femi Seriki and Tyrese Campbell having penalty appeals waved away in either half.
Defeat leaves the Blades nine points off the play-offs again with 12 games left but if they can match their first-half levels here going forward then they should win more games of football than they lose before the end of the season.
“I thought the first half one, maybe,” Lampard admitted of the decisions that got turned down. “I thought we maybe had one on Ephron [Mason-Clark] as well. If there was one that we got tonight that didn't go our way, then it probably is minus one from about six or seven we've had.
“And I don’t want to sound too cocky about it, but there's a lot of penalties we haven't got that are clear penalties. Some have been addressed after games by the League, and others, maybe not.
“I haven't seen them clearly, but I'm not going to just discount them. I genuinely haven’t seen them again, they were far away from me. And sometimes you make your own luck.
Frank Lampard’s verdict on Sheffield United and big penalty decisions as Coventry City take another step towards Premier League
“I came here last year, we were playing quite well when Gus Hamer puts a free kick in the top corner. Today, Hamer has a great strike that might go in and it goes wide. But my belief is that in football, sometimes you just dig in and do the right things, and they maybe go for you. So we got that for us tonight, three wins on the spin.”
Including one at Bramall Lane, where United have proved stubborn opposition since September when Chris Wilder returned to take over from the sacked Ruben Selles. “Earlier in the season was difficult for them but I’ve been watching them.
“I saw them beat Ipswich, I’ve seen them compete. I know their players. They've got very good, strong, strong, talented players and they’re a strong team in this league. And I've got a lot of time for Chris.
“I'll be very happy to see them get to where they want to get to this season, because I think he's a good manager. They’re on the rise, which made this a tough game for us. And to to go away on the weekend and then to come here again, people would have had their eye on this one, thinking what might that be with our recent away form.
“And the lads have dealt with the game. So it’s very important we keep our feet on the ground now, because we wake up tomorrow and the next game is two days away. That's really important, that we don't get carried away. But it's obviously very good for us to get six points in two away games but now, it’s on to the next for us.”
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