Stoke City 1-2 Sheffield United: Post-match review, Stats, Key moments

Dive into Coral’s post-match review of Stoke City 1-2 Sheffield United in the Championship on Monday, 29 December 2025, with stats, key moments and our take on the match.

Sheffield United came away with a 2-1 victory over Stoke City in a hard-fought match at the bet365 Stadium. The first half ended goalless, with both sides creating chances but failing to break the deadlock, as Stoke looked to build on their recent home win against Swansea City while Sheffield United aimed to bounce back from a heavy loss to Wrexham. Right after the break, Jaïro Riedewald put the visitors ahead in the 47th minute, and Tom Cannon doubled the lead in the 53rd with an assist from Harrison Burrows, putting Sheffield in control.

Stoke pulled one back through Ben Wilmot in the 65th minute, giving them hope of a comeback amid a run of mixed results including draws and losses. The hosts made several substitutions around the hour mark to try and turn things around, but a red card to Ben Pearson in the 88th minute made it tougher, as Sheffield held on despite late changes of their own. This win helps Sheffield United steady the ship after inconsistent form, while Stoke will rue missed opportunities in a game that slipped away.

Stoke City edged possession with 54% of the ball compared to Sheffield United’s 46%, suggesting they controlled more of the play but couldn’t make it count in the final third, where the visitors were more clinical on the counter. The home side racked up six corners to Sheffield’s two and completed far more successful dribbles at 56 against 36, showing they were pushing forward aggressively, though this didn’t translate into enough clear chances. On the discipline side, Sheffield picked up one yellow card while Stoke suffered a red card late on, which likely hampered their push for an equaliser, and with five substitutions each, both managers tried to freshen things up – Stoke making a flurry around the 58th minute and Sheffield responding later.

Sheffield United recorded one assist in the game, highlighting their efficiency in key moments, and neither side had penalties or injury-time goals to swing the result. Overall, the stats paint a picture of Stoke dominating territory but Sheffield making the most of their opportunities to secure the points.

The game burst into life just after half-time when Jaïro Riedewald fired Sheffield United ahead in the 47th minute, shifting the momentum their way. They quickly built on that with Tom Cannon’s goal in the 53rd, assisted by Harrison Burrows, which seemed to put them in a strong position. Stoke responded with Ben Wilmot’s strike in the 65th, keeping the contest alive.

Stoke made a triple substitution around the 58th minute, with Róbert Boženík replacing Sam Gallagher, Lamine Cissé coming on for Divin Mubama, and Ben Pearson taking over from Steven N’Zonzi, plus Jun-ho Bae had entered for Million Manhoef a minute earlier – all aimed at injecting energy. Later, Tomas Rigo replaced Tatsuki Seko for Stoke in the 74th, while Sheffield brought on Oliver Arblaster for Djibril Soumaré, Patrick Bamford for Tyrese Campbell, and Tahith Chong for Andre Brooks at the same time. The match took another turn with Ben Pearson’s red card in the 88th, and Sheffield made defensive changes like Mark McGuinness for Tom Cannon in the 87th and Alex Matos for Jaïro Riedewald in stoppage time to see out the win, with Femi Seriki picking up a yellow card in the 76th.

Stoke City lined up in a 4-4-2 formation, focusing on a solid defensive base with Ben Wilmot proving key in both boxes as he grabbed their only goal. Partnerships like Tatsuki Seko in midfield before his substitution for Tomas Rigo helped maintain control, while up front, players such as Sam Gallagher and Divin Mubama started but made way for Róbert Boženík and Lamine Cissé respectively around the hour mark to try and spark the attack.

Sheffield United set up in a 4-4-2 shape, relying on midfield creativity from Jaïro Riedewald who scored and later came off for Alex Matos in added time, alongside forward threats like Tom Cannon who netted before being replaced by Mark McGuinness. Key roles included Harrison Burrows providing the assist, with substitutions such as Patrick Bamford for Tyrese Campbell and Tahith Chong for Andre Brooks in the 74th adding fresh legs to hold onto their lead.

Coral’s Man of the Match goes to Jaïro Riedewald for his standout performance, netting one goal that kickstarted Sheffield United’s victory and helping control the midfield throughout. While he didn’t rack up assists, big chances created, or key passes in the stats, his timely strike in the 47th minute set the tone, and he stayed involved until being substituted in stoppage time for Alex Matos.

Recent Championship matches:

• Loss: 1-2 vs Sheffield United (H)
• Draw: 0-0 vs Preston North End (H)
• Loss: 0-1 vs Watford (A)
• Win: 2-1 vs Swansea City (H)
• Loss: 0-1 vs Ipswich Town (A)

Recent Championship matches:

• Win: 2-1 vs Stoke City (A)
• Loss: 3-5 vs Wrexham (A)
• Win: 3-0 vs Birmingham City (H)
• Loss: 0-2 vs West Bromwich Albion (A)
• Draw: 1-1 vs Norwich City (H)

Stoke City have just suffered a 1-2 home defeat to Sheffield United, leaving them in 10th place on 34 points after a patchy run that includes a draw with Preston North End and losses to Watford and Ipswich Town, though they did beat Swansea City recently. They’ll look to get back on track in their next match against Hull City on 2026-01-01 at 15:00, with Hull currently fourth on 41 points, making it a tough test as Stoke aim to close the gap on the top spots and build some momentum.

Sheffield United have just secured a 2-1 away win over Stoke City, boosting them to 17th place on 29 points following a mixed spell with a heavy loss to Wrexham but also a strong home victory against Birmingham City and a draw with Norwich City. Their next challenge is against Leicester City on 2026-01-01 at 17:30, with Leicester sitting 12th on 34 points, so it’s a chance for Sheffield to climb further away from danger and string together more positive results.

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