David McGoldrick scored the winner for Sheffield United as they beat Aston Villa 1-0 in the Premier League on Wednesday night. It came in a move which the 33-year-old forward started himself.
There was half an hour on the clock when the former Ireland international picked up the ball in midfield and sent a searching pass wide to George Baldock on the right.
Baldock cut inside onto his left, his errant shot hitting McGoldrick who had continued his run from midfield to find himself unmarked at the back post.
It was McGoldrick's sixth goal in the Premier League this season, and his seventh overall.
6 - David McGoldrick (6) has scored twice the number of Premier League goals of any other Sheffield United player this season (Billy Sharp, 3); indeed, he has now equalled the Blades' top scorer in the competition from last season (McBurnie & Mousset, 6). Hope.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 3, 2021
The victory, which came despite Phil Jagielka being sent off in the second half, was just United's fourth of the league season. It still leaves them bottom of the table on 14 points, three behind West Brom, and 13 inside the relegation places.
"I've scored a couple this season and not been on the winning end," McGoldrick told the Sheffield United YouTube channel.
"It's great to score and get a win for the confidence of the boys. It's a big week with the three home games we've got.
"To go down to 10 men and grind out a finish, it shows what we're about. We stood up. It was backs against the wall when Phil got sent off.
"It's been a tough season. The toughest in my long playing career. I'd be lying if I said it's not hard. It's hard when you lose a game and you're coming into training the next day. Everyone is down.
"On the otherside, the world that we're in at the minute [with Covid-19], we are really lucky to be doing our jobs, and be playing. We're not taking that for granted. The boys, we're together, we're friends as well as teammates.
"We've just got to keep grinding it out. It's not over."