04 March 2024 , 20:43
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Sheffield United fans were seen leaving their seats after Arsenal raced into a 4-0 lead on Monday night.
The Gunners arrived in red-hot form, on the back of six straight Premier League wins, and immediately hit cruise control against their relegation-threatened opponents. And things went exactly as everyone predicted, as Mikel Arteta's side ran riot right from kick-off.
Martin Odegaard tucked away the first goal after five minutes and Bukayo Saka forced an own goal from Omar Bogle before Gabriel Martinelli's deflected effort flew in at the near post. By the time Kai Havertz smashed in a fourth in the 25th minute, the Blades had already made a change of personnel.
Veteran midfielder Oliver Norwood was hooked in the 17th minute, with Ben Osborn brought on by Chris Wilder. Not that it did them any good, with Arsenal continuing their utter dominance, prompting some fans to head for the concourse, either for liquid refreshment or to head home early.
The absolute thrashing sparked a mix of sympathy and derision from rival fans on Twitter. "Feel for the Sheff Utd fans, that’s shocking from the team," one fan tweeted. "Sheff Utd fans just about catch the end of Corrie," another added.
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"The right thing to do is to refund all Sheff Utd fans season tickets this season. Quite clear this group of players have given up and have no intention of competing," one wrote. Another concluded: "Sheff Utd fans going home after 24 mins. State of that. Not real fans."
Oliver Norwood was taken off after just 17 minutesIt was 5-0 shortly after when Declan Rice found the bottom corner from yet another Saka cutback. "This is turning into an absolute humiliation for Sheffield United and a masterclass from Arsenal," former Arsenal striker Alan Smith said on Sky Sports. "We have seen this before at West Ham as some of the fans go home early."
No team in English league history has won three successive away matches by five or more goals. But with Arsenal laying waste to the Premier League's bottom side, you wouldn't bet against them as they went in at half-time 5-0 to the good.
As for Sheffield United, they have now conceded five goals on six occasions in the Premier League already this season. That is a joint record in the top flight and there are still 11 games left in the campaign.
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