Sheffield United and Birmingham City played out a goalless draw in their opening game of the 2026/27 Championship season.
It was Birmingham who controlled the game for large parts, but still needed a big moment from young goalkeeper James Beadle to deny the onrushing Patrick Bamford in the second half.
Chris Wilder will be disappointed at seeing his side forced on the back foot at home, while Chris Davies will be pleased at how his side seized control, even if they need to show more cutting edge.
With that in mind, here are a couple of key takeaways from Bramall Lane.
Birmingham win midfield battle to stifle hosts
Despite being the away team, it was Birmingham who were the protagonists in this match. The Second City outfit controlled 55% possession at Bramall Lane, outpassing Sheffield United 254-194 and outshooting them 10-3.
The reason was quite clear: a simple numerical advantage in midfield.
Chris Davies sent his side out in a 4-2-3-1 shape, with Tomoki Iwata and the impressive Jhon Solis in the double pivot, providing the platform for Seung-ho Paik in the No.10 position.
Chris Wilder, meanwhile, went for a 4-2-2-2 that relied on the full-backs to provide width. However, while that should have allowed four men to cover central spaces, United’s two No.10s often had to cover out wide to avoid their full-backs being left two-on-one.
The result was Sheffield United having to surrender possession, often outmanoeuvred by a Birmingham side who always seemed to have a passing option. This translated numerically, with the Blades attempting 73 long balls to Birmingham’s 65, despite attempting far fewer passes overall.
United simply didn’t have the passing options to play through the pitch and had to go direct, relying on Patrick Bamford and Tom Cannon to win aerial duels — which they did just five times from 17 combined attempts.
The Blades did grow into the match late on, once Wilder had introduced the craft of Tahith Chong and the quality of Oliver Arblaster. However, the home crowd had already shown its frustration by then, watching their side routinely run down blind alleys or too easily surrender possession with aimless long balls.
Over the course of a full Championship season, a two-man strike force could pay dividends at home for Sheffield United. Here, however, it left them short in the key area of establishing dominance in a breakneck second-tier clash.
Sheffield United vs Birmingham City match momentum
James Beadle steps up to save wasteful Blues
Birmingham had all of the ball and most of the chances, and yet, they nearly left Yorkshire empty-handed.
Sheffield United had to be resolute without the ball, with Japhet Tanganga the standout after making 10 clearances, one block, two interceptions and eight recoveries, alongside winning eight of his 12 duels.
However, Birmingham did inevitably create chances.
The likes of Paik and Jay Stansfield passed up considerable opportunities in front of goal throughout the course of the match. Meanwhile, for all their dominance, they were unable to get striker August Priske into the action, with the Dane failing to attempt a single shot.
That wastefulness gave Sheffield United a foothold in a match they spent long periods chasing, and it was the Blades who had the best opportunity of all when Callum O’Hare set Patrick Bamford through on goal in the 75th minute.
Former Leeds striker Bamford ran himself to a slightly wider angle than he’d have liked, but still fired off a powerful effort that was destined for the far corner.
James Beadle had other ideas, though, maintaining brilliant composure to stay on his feet until the final moment, making his body big and getting a strong arm and a large frame behind the ball.
It was a huge moment from a 22-year-old who had otherwise enjoyed a leisurely afternoon. But that’s the sign of a top-class goalkeeper, and a demonstration of why the Brighton loanee has 35 caps for England across various youth levels.