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Sheffield United spice up title race with upset win over Manchester United

Laurence Griffiths - PA Images / PA Images / Getty

Coming off their first win in six months, Sheffield United produced one of the biggest upsets of the Premier League season on Wednesday, defeating title-chasing Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Oliver Burke came off the bench in the second half to secure a famous 2-1 victory for the Blades. It was his first-ever Premier League goal in his 28th appearance in the English top flight.

With the loss, Manchester United missed a chance to regain first place. Manchester City currently lead by a point with a game in hand.

# W D L GD Pts
1 Manchester City 12 5 2 23 41
2 Manchester United 12 4 4 10 40
3 Leicester City 12 3 5 14 39
4 West Ham United 10 5 5 6 35
5 Liverpool 9 7 3 15 34

"We're surprised," Solskjaer said, lamenting his side's first league defeat since Nov. 1. "We have been the most consistent team the last few months but it just hit us today."

At the opposite end of the table, Sheffield United renewed their bid to avoid relegation. They're now 10 points from safety with 18 matches remaining in the campaign.

Sheffield United were without nine senior players due to injuries and suspension, but that didn't stop Chris Wilder's side.

Kean Bryan, who came through Manchester City's academy, caused initial shock with a glancing header in the 23rd minute.

Anthony Martial thought he had equalized at the half-hour mark, only for referee Peter Bankes to chalk it off for a foul on goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.

Harry Maguire eventually leveled the score with a header of his own in the 64th minute, but a defensive breakdown in United's penalty area led to Burke's winner.

Maguire passed the ball back to goalkeeper David De Gea, who only had time to shuttle the ball a few yards out. Sheffield United recycled possession until midfielder John Lundstram found Burke unmarked in the area. The 23-year-old then quickly thundered a shot off Axel Tuanzebe and the underside of the crossbar to put a dent in his adversaries' title aspirations.

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