Sheffield United made the perfect start to life under the guidance of their new manager Paul Heckingbottom yesterday as they secured all three points in their meeting with Bristol City at Bramall Lane.

Rhian Brewster fired the Blades ahead in the first-half of this fixture.

Following the break, United doubled their advantage via a strike from Billy Sharp who was teed up by David McGoldrick.

As a result of this triumph, the Blades moved to within six points of the play-off places in the Championship.

With the dust having now settled from this fixture, we have decided to take a look at THREE things we clearly learnt about United after their 2-0 victory over the Robins...

Brewster clearly still possesses the ability required to thrive at this level

After scoring 11 goals at this level during his temporary spell with Swansea City last year, Brewster would have been hoping to set the Championship alight this season.

However, the 21-year-old initially made a slow start to the 2021/22 campaign as he failed to find the back of the net in seven league appearances for the Blades.

Having netted in the club's clash with Blackburn Rovers earlier this month, Brewster backed up this particular display by scoring his second Championship goal of the season against the Robins yesterday.

A talented individual, the forward will be hoping to establish himself as a mainstay in United's side in the coming months following the recent arrival of Heckingbottom.

Keeping Sharp fit will have a profound impact on the club's fortunes in the Championship

Despite being in the twilight of his career, Sharp is showing no signs of slowing down as he has illustrated this season that he is still more than capable of competing at this level.

 

 

The forward took his overall goal-tally for the 2021/22 campaign to six yesterday as he slotted home from close-range.

When you consider that Sharp has also provided six assists for his team-mates in 20 Championship appearances, it is abundantly clear that he could go on to have a profound impact on the club's fortunes at this level if he is able to maintain his fitness.

Heckingbottom must stick with the 3-4-2-1 formation in the Blades' upcoming games

One of the reasons for United's lack of consistency this season has been their tendency to switch formations.

Former manager Slavisa Jokanovic decided to play a four-man defence on numerous occasions as he attempted to stamp his own authority on the club earlier this season.

This ultimately didn't work for the Serbian as the Blades' players are more suited to a set up built upon the presence of three centre-backs which is what Chris Wilder deployed during his time at the club.

Having utilised a 3-4-2-1 formation on Sunday, Heckingbottom ought to stick by this system for the club's upcoming fixtures as United will have a better chance of picking up positive results at this level.