Sheffield United relegated from Premier League after 1-0 defeat to Wolves
Sheffield United's two-season spell in the Premier League is over after their relegation back to the Sky Bet Championship was confirmed with defeat to Wolves.
Willian Jose's second-half strike, which finished off a clinical counter attacking move for the hosts, secured all three points on offer in a 1-0 scoreline.
The Blades have also matched an unwanted record with no team being relegated earlier in a season. They join Huddersfield (2018/19) and Derby (2007/08) in having their status confirmed after 32 games.
United have hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons this season with just four wins from 32 matches and 14 points gained from a possible 96.
Newcastle's victory over West Ham earlier on Saturday pushed United closer to the drop, with the Wolves result leaving them 19 points adrift with 18 left to play for.
Saturday's loss was their 26th in the league this season. The Blades were battling to avoid being tagged as the worst team in Premier League history with two points on the board after 17 games.
However, early 2021 gave hope that the great escape may become reality with three wins from their first six league games of the calendar year.
Results quickly dropped off though and problems off-the-field combined with issues on it as manager Chris Wilder, who had overseen the club's rise from Sky Bet League One to the Premier League, left by mutual consent in mid-March.
Under-23s head coach Paul Heckingbottom took temporary charge but by that stage it was too late with it becoming a case of 'when not if' their return to England's second tier was confirmed.
Sheffield United took the Premier League by storm in 2019/20 with their first season back ending in a 9th place finish. They were in the running for European football but failed to reach the same heights following Project Restart in June - the Blades finished the campaign with three wins from their final ten matches.
They couldn't build on the successful season though and found recruitment difficult. Rhian Brewster was the headline addition, with United paying around £24million to Liverpool for the striker, but he is yet to score in 26 appearances across all competitions.
Sky Bet believe that West Brom (1/66) and Fulham (1/8) will be joining the Blades in the Championship next season with both heavy odds-on prices for relegation.
Odds correct at 1545 BST (17/04/21)
More from Sporting Life
Responsible gambling
We are committed in our support of responsible gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, or visit begambleaware.org.
Further support and information can be found at GamCare and gamblingtherapy.org.