The Steel City Derby was played for the first time in more than five years as Sheffield United beat Sheffield Wednesday 4-2 on Sunday at Hillsborough behind two goals from Leon Clarke. One of the more underrated European rivalries returned to the English Championship for the first time since 2010 and the Steel City Derby fans were more than ready for the occasion.
Wednesday rallied from down 2-0 to level in the 65th minute, setting the home fans off in a jubilant frenzy, jumping and singing for their team. The whole stadium was rocking. It was like a Kim Jong-un rally — everyone was cheering like his or her life depended on it.
Two minutes later, United scored. The home fans fell silent; the away end erupted.
There’s a moment there before the goal is scored when the singing fans realize United was threatening to score. There’s an as-of-yet unrealized fear, like that feeling you get when the roller coaster is just about to go over the edge. Then it happened: Mark Duffy made a few cut backs in the box and fired home a near-post shot to score the match winner.
The contrast in reactions between ends, the gamut of emotions experienced by both groups of supporters and the unbridled joy/agony of these Sheffield fans show exactly what it means to be a football fan, particularly in England.
Here are some pregame scenes that show just how amped up the fans were for this match.
The two teams meet up again in January at Bramall Lane and you can guarantee the Steel City Derby fans will be just as fired up.
The18 Recommends For You
