Same old story for Chris Wilder and Sheffield United as season comes to an end

Sheffield United rounded things off with a 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur having wasted good opportunities early on – Ben Brereton Diaz went closest when he hit a post – then conceded a goal with a litany of defensive errors.

Spurs scored twice in quick succession in the second half – another unwanted Blades trait – then settled for the 3-0 win that comfortably confirmed their Europa League place for next season.

"I've been sat in this position before and I'm possibly going to say exactly the same things that I've said especially over the last eight weeks, really," said a frustrated Wilder.

"We've been 14th for the xG (expected goals) for the last two months but obviously the season lasts a bit longer than that.

"That means we've not taken chances and any opportunbity teams get to put us to bed, they've done that.

"The first haf an hour absolutely summed your season up and I suppose there was a familiarity in what happened. We had great chances in the first 20 minutes, we were the better side against a side of Spurs' magnitude and the players they've got and it wasn't a dead ribber for them.

"The one mistake leads to two, leads to three, leads to four and Kulusevski finds a fabulous finish. We know what the Premier League's like, we're not surprised.

"Jayden (Bogle) should do better, my right centre-half goes on a run where I’m scratching my head what he's thinking, we miss a tackle, my centre-half misses a tackle and then we don[t get tight enough to (Dejan) Kulusevski to stop or block the shot – 1-0 I would say, maybe with rose-tinted glasses, against the run of play.

"It's a pin in the balloon, you can see the life get sucked out of us as if here we go again and the group isn't strong enough from a mentality point of view to deal with disappointment and things going against you.

"Wes kept us in the game up to half-time but I've got say it was pretty comfortable for them."

Speaking of the opening goal, Wilder said: "I think you saw the attitude of the team and the group really, it shone right through in that particular moment. And I've got to say it was pretty comfortable for Spurs for 70 minutes, we've got a pretty strong bench there but Oli Mac (McBurnie) can only do 15 minutes, Rhian (Brewster) at the moment can only do 25 or so, Max Lowe can't do as many as we'd like.

"So physically we are absolutely miles off it, absolutely miles. There's so many things that have to be put right, there's a lot of work to be done but we'll do it. I'll get it done."

Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou was able to reflect on a job well done.

"It's been good," he said. "It's been eventful, it's had a bit of everything.

"I'm not delighted with the finish but I think we've been in the top five all year.

"Even in our tough periods we've still been competitive."