On a Tuesday night at Bramall Lane, Sheffield United eased past National League side Wrexham 3-1 in an FA Cup replay, sending the Blades into a fifth-round tie with Tottenham and closing a cup run that had delighted neutrals this season. The football was the easy part to file away; what lingered was the bitterness that spilled into the tunnel, where players from both sides clashed and words were exchanged that would echo long after the final whistle. In the days that followed, each camp insisted it had behaved with dignity, a familiar human pattern in which pride after a loss and a win's bruis
Wrexham Hit Back at Billy Sharp After FA Cup Exit At Sheffield United
"Show a bit more humility" — Tozer says he told Sharp to his face
Mark
Why does a tunnel row get this much attention when the match itself had two penalties and a stoppage-time finish?
Mimi
Because the row came from a claim about attitude. Sharp said Wrexham were eyeing up Spurs before they had beaten United, and Parkinson and Tozer answered that directly.
Luke
Worth saying that's Sharp's view. He didn't name specific players or quote anything said, so what Wrexham supposedly did beforehand isn't established in the reporting.
Mark
And Wrexham's side of it?
Mimi
Tozer said none of the players had said anything disrespectful and that they approached the game properly. Parkinson called Sharp's shouting down the tunnel disrespectful.
Luke
Again, those are accounts from one camp each. We know players clashed in the tunnel, but not who started it or what was said.
Mark
Sharp also criticised the referee.
Mimi
He said he wasn't given one foul all night. It's a complaint about the officiating, and nothing in the report tests it.
Luke
Right, and the match facts are separate and solid: 3-1, Ahmedhodzic opening, Mullin's penalty, Davies saving the second one, then Sharp and Berge late.
Mark
What should we watch for?
Mimi
United play Tottenham in round five, and whether either club says more about the tunnel.
The Pulse
- Anel Ahmedhodzic's early second-half goal gave United the lead, only for Wrexham to strike back through a Paul Mullin penalty.
- A second Mullin penalty was saved by Adam Davies, leaving the tie hanging in the balance until the final minutes.
- Sharp and Berge struck in stoppage time to tip the replay toward Sheffield United, and the atmosphere turned sour fast.
- Players clashed in the tunnel, and both managers and players publicly traded accusations of disrespect, with neither side backing down.
- Sheffield United now turn their attention to Tottenham in round five, while the row over conduct looks set to linger beyond the pitch.
On a Tuesday night at Bramall Lane, Sheffield United eased past National League side Wrexham 3-1 in an FA Cup replay, sending the Blades into a fifth-round tie with Tottenham and closing a cup run that had delighted neutrals this season. The football was the easy part to file away; what lingered was the bitterness that spilled into the tunnel, where players from both sides clashed and words were exchanged that would echo long after the final whistle. In the days that followed, each camp insisted it had behaved with dignity, a familiar human pattern in which pride after a loss and a win's bruised sense of respect harden into competing stories of humility.
Sheffield United beat Wrexham 3-1 at Bramall Lane in an FA Cup replay, but the result was soon overshadowed by what happened after the whistle. Players from both sides clashed in the tunnel, and in the hours that followed, Wrexham's manager and one of his defenders pushed back hard against comments made by Sheffield United's veteran striker Billy Sharp.
The match had swung back and forth. Anel Ahmedhodzic gave United the lead early in the second half, Paul Mullin levelled from the penalty spot, and a second Mullin penalty was saved by Adam Davies. Sharp and Berge scored in stoppage time to settle it, sending the Blades into round five against Tottenham and ending a memorable run for the National League side.
Sharp spoke candidly to ITV Sport. He was glad to have won, but accused Wrexham of eyeing up Spurs before they had beaten United, and criticised the referee for not giving a single foul all night.
Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson called Sharp's shouting down the tunnel disrespectful, saying the striker was better than that and that his players were humble. Defender Ben Tozer was even sharper, insisting Wrexham had congratulated United, not sulked, and walked off together as normal. He said he had told Sharp face to face to show more humility, and that the night had been a real shame.
Both clubs deny any wrongdoing, so the dispute may well outlast the tie. For United, the focus is now on Tottenham; for Wrexham, attention returns to the National League.
Sheffield United beat Wrexham 3-1 at Bramall Lane on Tuesday night in an FA Cup replay, and by the time the final whistle had gone the argument had moved from the pitch to the tunnel. Players from both sides clashed there, and in the hours afterwards Wrexham's manager and one of his defenders publicly pushed back against what they had heard from Sheffield United's Billy Sharp.
The result sends United into the fifth round, where they will play Tottenham. It ended a cup run by the National League side that had been one of the competition's more memorable stories this season.
The match itself had been close for long stretches. Anel Ahmedhodzic gave United the lead early in the second half, and Wrexham answered when Paul Mullin scored a penalty to level the tie. Mullin then had the chance to put his side in front from a second penalty, but Adam Davies saved it. The game was decided in stoppage time, when Sharp and Berge both scored for United.
Sharp, the Blades' veteran striker, was forthright when he spoke to ITV Sport. He said he was glad United had won, and acknowledged that both clubs were doing well in their respective leagues. But he said he was unhappy with some of the Wrexham players. He accused the club of eyeing up Spurs before the game, saying they had not even beaten United yet. He also said Wrexham thought United would roll over once they got back into the match. He criticised the referee too, saying he did not think he had been given a single foul all night.
Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson addressed the matter directly. He said he was disappointed with Sharp for shouting down the tunnel, and called his behaviour disrespectful. His message to the striker, he said, was that Sharp is better than that and that Wrexham's players are humble people.
Defender Ben Tozer, formerly of Northampton, Newport and Cheltenham, was just as pointed. He said he did not believe any of his team-mates had said anything disrespectful, and that Wrexham had approached the tie properly. If United wanted to take a different view, he said, that was their choice. He said the events after the match had put a dampener on what had been a thrilling replay.
Tozer said he had told Sharp face to face to show a bit more humility. He argued that Wrexham had behaved correctly in defeat: they had congratulated United on the win, had not come in sulking, and had walked down the tunnel together as normal. He called it a shame that the night ended the way it did. He added that he felt United had shown a real lack of humility, and that if Wrexham had won, they would have shown a lot more humility and respect.
Both sides, then, are denying any wrongdoing, and the dispute over conduct may linger. For Sheffield United the focus turns to Tottenham in round five. For Wrexham the cup run is over, and attention returns to the National League.
Notable Quotes
You're better than that - our players are humble people.— Phil Parkinson, Wrexham manager, in his message to Billy Sharp
I said to him face to face 'show a bit more humility'.— Ben Tozer, Wrexham defender
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