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EPL Winners and Losers After Sunday's 2019 Week 13 Premier League Results

Gill Clark

Manchester United and Sheffield United played out a dramatic 3-3 draw at Bramall Lane in the Premier League on Sunday.

The hosts deservedly took control of the game through goals from John Fleck and Lys Mousset, but three goals in seven minutes after the break put the Red Devils in sight of an unlikely win.

Brandon Williams gave Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side hope before Mason Greenwood levelled the match shortly after arriving as a substitute, and Marcus Rashford added a third on 79 minutes.

However, the Blades rescued a draw in stoppage time when Oli McBurnie converted from close range to salvage a deserved point for Chris Wilder's side.

Here is a look at the winners and losers from Sunday's only Premier League fixture.

    

Loser: Phil Jones' Man Utd career

Phil Jones made his first Premier League appearance of the season on Sunday, starting in a three-man backline alongside Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof.

It was a surprise move from Solskjaer and backfired, as Jones put in a horror show at Bramall Lane and was to blame for Fleck's opening goal.

Lys Mousset beat the 27-year-old down the right and put the ball into the penalty area for Fleck to slot home after John Lundstram had seen a shot saved by David De Gea.

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville highlighted Jones' part in the goal:

Squawka Football noted how Jones' error made for an unwelcome statistic:

Jones continued to struggle in an error-strewn opening 45 minutes with George Baldock causing him all sorts of problems, and Solskjaer made the correct decision to replace the defender at half-time.

Manchester United put in a vastly improved showing after the break without Jones, and it would be little surprise to see the 27-year-old depart Old Trafford in the January transfer window.

     

Winners: Manchester United youngsters

Manchester United had three academy players to thank for turning the game around and departing Bramall Lane with a point.

Sheffield United had been utterly dominant until Williams smashed the ball across goal and into the back of the net for the 19-year-old's first Premier League goal:

Solskjaer sent on Greenwood for Andreas Pereira on 73 minutes and the 18-year-old equalised four minutes later, latching on to Rashford's cross and poking past goalkeeper Simon Moore:

Daniel James and Anthony Martial then combined to tee up Rashford for his seventh Premier League goal of the season and put the visitors ahead for the first time in the match.

James Robson at the Evening Standard noted how all three goalscorers were academy graduates:

Manchester United could not quite hold on to complete a dramatic win, but the contributions of their young players will offer supporters hope for the future.

   

Loser: Mauricio Pochettino

Solskjaer's position as Manchester United manager looked increasingly vulnerable during Sunday's match, as the Red Devils were outclassed by a Sheffield United side that cost a fraction of the visitors' starting XI.

Bleacher Report's Rob Blanchette said it was the type of display that could see Solskjaer sacked:

Meanwhile, supporters at Bramall Lane aired their thoughts on Solskjaer's future, per Robson:

Mauricio Pochettino has been regularly linked with Manchester United in the past, and his sudden availability after being sacked by Tottenham Hotspur could see the club reignite their interest.

Defeat to Sheffield United would have been the Red Devils' fifth of the season already and kept the club in the bottom half of the table, piling more pressure on Solskjaer.

However, the team managed to turn the game around, helped by Solskjaer's half-time substitutions, and it should be enough to keep the Norwegian safe for now at least.

    

Winner: Chris Wilder

Sheffield United can be forgiven for feeling disappointed not to have taken all three points against Manchester United as they were the better team for long periods of the match.

Manager Chris Wilder had to cope without first-choice goalkeeper Dean Henderson as well as defender John Egan but still saw his team outperform the Red Devils for the majority of the game:

Wilder has produced a well-organised, disciplined and hungry team at Bramall Lane that also play progressive, attacking football and were good value for their 2-0 lead.

Football correspondent Kieran Canning said they are the fifth-best team in England:

The Blades also refused to give in after seeing Manchester United wipe out their lead and go 3-2 up with only 10 minutes remaining. McBurnie's late goal ensured honours ended even and leaves Wilder's men in an impressive sixth place in the table.

BT Sport's Darren Fletcher praised Wilder for the job he is doing at the club:

Sheffield United were widely tipped to struggle after being promoted back to the Premier League for the 2019-20 season but have surprised many not just with their results but with the entertaining football produced by Wilder's men.

   

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