After a wait of over six months, Sheffield United have finally won another Premier League match.
The Blades beat Newcastle United 1-0 on Tuesday, earning their first three-point haul of the 2020-21 campaign in the club's 18th game.
Billy Sharp's 73rd-minute penalty was enough to make Sheffield United the last side to win a match across Europe's top five leagues. Chris Wilder's men now have five points - six fewer than the worst-ever points haul recorded by Derby County in 2007-08.
The only team Derby beat in that disastrous term was Newcastle.
18 - Sheffield United have picked up their first win of the Premier League season, in what was their 18th game - in top-flight history, only Bolton in 1902-03 (22) played more games of a season before earning their first victory. Quenched. pic.twitter.com/1oaVtxFK1u
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 12, 2021
Newcastle were reduced to 10 men shortly before halftime when Ryan Fraser's ill-advised swipe at David McGoldrick resulted in the Scotsman's second yellow card. However, the hosts still needed a spot-kick - awarded after VAR ruled Federico Fernandez handled the ball in the area - to seal an elusive victory.
This outing marks the Blades' first Premier League win without Paddy Kenny or Dean Henderson as their goalkeeper since 1994. The victory was also current shot-stopper Aaron Ramsdale's first clean sheet since he played in Bournemouth's 0-0 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on July 9, 2020.
"I thought we played with a lot of confidence and this win can give us more belief. Everyone has written us off, the pressure is off," Sharp told Sky Sports post-match of Sheffield United's hopes of avoiding relegation.
"We've not had a great time in the last few months but we've got to keep our heads high now. We're good enough to do it."