Sheffield United's Late Collapse Against Wolverhampton

Sheffield United goalkeeper Michael Cooper admitted his side "switched off" at the worst possible moment as a 90th-minute strike from Raul Jimenez condemned the Blades to a 1-0 home defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Bramall Lane.

The late goal, prodded in from close range, left United stuck in 14th place in the Championship, five points adrift of the automatic promotion spots in these early stages of the season. For a side with ambitions of climbing quickly, it stung.

The decisive moment came right at the death. Tommy Doyle miscued a shot inside the box, the ball skewing into a dangerous area rather than towards goal. Jimenez reacted first, adjusted his feet and steered it past Cooper from close range. One lapse. One punishment.

"In the 90th minute, ultimately, we've switched off and let them in," Cooper told BBC Radio Yorkshire, his frustration clear.

"Really disappointed with that. We know how disappointed the fans will be going home.

"It's a bit of a sucker punch. Credit to the lads, obviously, the effort was there for 90 minutes but just that split-second against a team like that, as a unit, we can't switch off the way we did. Bitterly disappointing."

United had competed and worked, but left with nothing. The late collapse cut through all the earlier endeavour and left Cooper reflecting on the fine margins that define promotion chases.

"Everyone's training so hard. The amount of info we're getting from staff is phenomenal. There's no complaints from anyone. It's just about putting the practice into games."

The message was blunt: the preparation is there. The standards are there. But if Sheffield United want to turn early-season promise into a serious promotion push, they cannot afford many more 90th-minute lessons like this.