Where Did It All Go Wrong For Sheffield United This Season?

Sheffield United will be kicking themselves after narrowly missing out on a return to the Premier League following a last-minute goal in the play-off final.

After spending 143 days in the top two, a run of shock defeats saw the Blades slip to third, outside the automatic promotion places. The play-offs represented their last chance to salvage the season.

After brushing aside Bristol Rovers 6–0 on aggregate across two legs, they ultimately fell short against Sunderland.

𝗗𝗜𝗗 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗞𝗡𝗢𝗪❓

Sheffield United's tally of seven goals in three matches was the most a team has ever scored without securing promotion in the history of the Championship play-offs since the EFL restructure in 2004/05. 😬

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲-𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞. 🫣#TwitterBlades pic.twitter.com/zxUniYC47y

— The Championship Chat Podcast (@Champchatpod24) May 26, 2025

Play-Off Curse

Heading into the play-off final on Saturday, Blades fans would’ve been hopeful their side could finally end a dreadful run of eight straight play-off defeats. Unfortunately for them, it wasn’t to be.

Chris Wilder’s side gave the travelling fans hope when Tyrese Campbell opened the scoring in the 25th minute.

With just 20 minutes to go, United supporters could be forgiven for thinking their fortunes were finally about to change. But Sunderland had other ideas and ultimately spoiled the party.

In the 76th minute, Eliezer Mayenda equalised, before Tom Watson shattered Blades hearts in the 95th, his strike from outside the box nestling in the bottom right corner to send Sunderland back to the Premier League for the first time since 2017.

That now makes it nine unsuccessful play-off campaigns for the Blades, who face a summer of uncertainty—particularly around the futures of their star players—following another failed attempt to return to the top flight.

Tyrese Campbell, son of the late Kevin Campbell, opens the scoring for Sheffield United at Wembley ❤️

A finish his father would’ve been proud of. pic.twitter.com/3OMexx2Dph

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 24, 2025

Poor Form At The Wrong Time

Even with a two-point deduction, United remained firmly in a three-horse title race with Leeds and Burnley throughout the 2024/25 campaign.

That is, until Wilder’s men suffered a damaging run of three consecutive defeats to Oxford, Millwall and Plymouth in April, followed by a costly loss to Burnley, which ultimately consigned them to the play-off spots.

Over the course of the Championship season, only champions Leeds United spent more time in the automatic promotion places than Sheffield United.

The Blades occupied the top two for 143 days and looked destined for automatic promotion for much of the campaign. They spent 55 days longer in those positions than Burnley, who eventually overtook them to claim the second automatic promotion spot.

In the end, the table doesn’t lie. If Sheffield United had truly deserved to go up automatically, they would have done. But the final standings showed a ten-point gap between them and the top two—Burnley and Leeds.

The final standings!#EFL | #SkyBetChampionship pic.twitter.com/c6eUmsTRDC

— Sky Bet Championship (@SkyBetChamp) May 3, 2025

Building For Next Season

Now the focus turns to keeping hold of the players who almost took the club back to the Premier League, while also recruiting new faces to finally get over the line next season.

With their dismal play-off record extended once again, supporters will now fear that Gustavo Hamer and several of his team-mates may move on. Hamer was the Championship’s standout performer in 2024/25, earning Player of the Year honours at the EFL Awards, and he showcased his class once more at Wembley.

In the club’s biggest game of the season, Hamer delivered a 10/10 performance—creating the goal for Campbell with a brilliant run and pass, and running the show in attack.

Vinícius Souza is another name attracting attention. The Brazilian has been linked with clubs including Fulham and AC Milan since last summer, and United did well to keep hold of him this long.

The club are already said to be eyeing a move for centre-back Jimmy Dunne, whose contract with QPR expires in June.

Wilder will be keen to add experience to his back line—something Dunne can certainly offer. He also has ample experience playing at right-back, which would bring useful squad depth.

The highest rated players in the Championship on @WhoScored this season:

1️⃣ Manor Solomon - 7.26
2️⃣ Junior Firpo - 7.24
3️⃣ Jimmy Dunne - 7.20
➡️ Jaidon Anthony - 7.20
5️⃣ Borja Sainz - 7.19
6️⃣ Jack Rudoni - 7.13
➡️ Trai Hume - 7.13#LUFC pic.twitter.com/6nc5CG03pV

— Second Tier podcast (@secondtierpod) May 7, 2025

Moving Forward

The defeat to Sunderland is a tough one to take, but Wilder and his players will need to process it quickly and turn their focus to next season after a short summer break.

He'll be hoping to follow the example of Leeds, who bounced back from their 2023/24 play-off final defeat by keeping the core of their squad intact and strengthening in key areas. A year later, they look far better equipped for life in the Premier League.