What Sheffield United fans were chanting after Fleetwood Town shock speaks volumes

The Blades were unceremoniously dumped out of the EFL Cup by League Two opposition - and their fans weren't happy about it

Sheffield United could have earned a place in the last 16 of the EFL Cup on Wednesday night when facing League Two side Fleetwood Town - but it did not go their way at Highbury.

Coming up against their former striker Ched Evans, the Blades were downed 1-0 by the Cod Army in Lancashire, and in the process they were dumped out of the cup in round three.

The game was settled by an own goal, with Rhys Norrington-Davies heading into his own net from a Danny Andrew cross without a player around him, and that ended up being the difference maker.

Sheffield United players berated by supporters after Fleetwood Town defeat

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The match stats were quite damning for United - the majority of possession they had, as expected, but Fleetwood edged them out on the shots and shots on target stat, which considering the gulf in class on paper, should not really be happening.

Sheffield United players were booed by their travelling fans at full-time after they'd been eliminated from the EFL Cup, and their feelings were made very clear.

Supporters chanted "What the f***ing hell was that?" to the squad as they approached the Highbury away end with a ripple of applause, and they will have known that their performance was not up to the required level.

And in terms of the United players themselves, Chris Wilder put the blame at their feet for the loss, claiming that they went 'off plan' at the start of the second half, which led to Norrington-Davies' own goal and an eventual defeat.

Sheffield United fans react to Fleetwood Town defeat

It wasn't just the Sheffield United supporters that travelled to the Fylde coast that were left angry and frustrated at the performance at Highbury - it was the ones that watched from further afield too.

This fan in particular actually blames Wilder for not taking any responsibility, having shot straight down the tunnel rather than face up to the Blades crowd.

Another United supporter is also critical of Wilder, who has now been back in the job for around a year and it's now his team rather than the one that previous boss Ruben Selles created.

This fan was not happy with the performance of Norrington-Davies, who aside from his own goal put in somewhat of a disastrous display.

This supporter meanwhile believes the whole performance from the team was an 'embarrassment'.

There was a modicum of sympathy however for one player in particular, with Tom Cannon coming in for some praise amid a poor performance all round, with the lack of service given to the Republic of Ireland international very noticeable.

Has Chris Wilder been hamstrung by Sheffield United owners?

Let's face facts - Sheffield United should not be losing to Fleetwood Town on paper with the team they put out, but cup competitions are notorious for throwing up shock results from time to time.

The Cod Army were unbeaten in all competitions since the start of the 2026-27 campaign, albeit they've drawn four of their six League Two games so far, so it wasn't like they were no-hopers going into the contest - especially on home soil.

But it's clear to see that Wilder does not believe that his squad followed the plan that was set out, and ultimately it's cost them a place in the last 16 of the competition.

When you look at United's summer though, it's easy to say that Wilder has been hampered significantly by the club's lack of transfer business, with the hierarchy cashing in on players such as Andre Brooks, Callum O'Hare and Gus Hamer, and only really signing freebies and loanees.

The Blades sit 15th in the Championship after seven games, and based on the evidence we saw against lower league opposition on Wednesday night, the upcoming international break is coming at a good time for Wilder's side, who need to refresh and regroup.