![\"Sheffield](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0_JS395836351.jpg\")
<\/p>\nChris Wilder was mightily impressed by Middlesbrough in their win over his Sheffield United side<\/p>\n
Sheffield United’s Manager Chris Wilder(Image: Pro Sports Images)<\/p>\n
Chris Wilder called Middlesbrough the best team Sheffield United have played since his return to Bramall Lane.<\/p>\n
Boro<\/a> won an enthralling battle between the two sides on Monday night, with the 2-1 victory over Wilder\u2019s side moving them to the top of the Championship.<\/p>\n The former Boro boss had spoken highly of Boro before the game, but called it a three-horse race for promotion, as he spoke about the quality of Coventry and Ipswich also.<\/p>\n But having now seen Boro up close and personal, it\u2019s fair to say he was very impressed by what he saw from Kim Hellberg\u2019s side, who won courtesy of Tommy Conway and Riley McGree goals.<\/p>\n Wilder said: \u201cI\u2019ve got to say, they\u2019re the best team we\u2019ve played all season, in the time that I\u2019ve been here. By quite a long shot. I imagine for the neutral, it was a great game to watch, particularly the way it started.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted to be on the front foot because we know they\u2019ve got dangerous players. We committed to the press and tried to get after them, and we nearly did that. There were a few times we had them trapped, but they managed to get out.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to play really narrow. They don\u2019t play a lot on the outside, so you have to play really narrow with your full-backs and wide players inside. But that\u2019s a really hard shape to play against. You saw that with the first goal \u2013 Riley picking up pockets and Conway playing in between the right-back and right centre-half.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought our two central-midfield players were just off it slightly in the first half, half a yard or so, but it was really difficult for them because they were up against arguably the two best midfield players in the division, by quite a way in my opinion.<\/p>\n \u201cIt always just felt like one of those games where it just wasn\u2019t quite happening for us. But like I say, it was the best team we\u2019ve played against for me, by a long way.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought it was a statement win for them. We can take a bit out of it, even though we\u2019ve set ourselves a high bar with the home games. We just needed a little bit more.<\/p>\n \u201cWe probably had six-and-a-half and sevens, and you can\u2019t really do that against a team at the top of the league, with the momentum they have, the results they\u2019ve got and the cohesion they\u2019re obviously showing. You\u2019ve got to be right up there, and I don\u2019t think we quite got to the heights we can.”<\/p>\n FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK!<\/strong> Keep up with all the Middlesbrough FC latest via the Gazette’s dedicated Facebook page<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n For Wilder, it was defeat against a Boro side who he led for 11 months between November 2021 and October 2022. Though more than three years have passed since his exit, there are still a fair few players remaining from his time on Teesside, including McGree, who signed for Wilder.<\/p>\n Boro fans sang, \u2018Wilder, what\u2019s the score?\u2019 at full time and generally don\u2019t think fondly of the Blades boss, largely because of the way it came to an end for him at the Riverside, with disharmony behind the scenes over the direction of the club.<\/p>\n But, prior to that, Wilder had led the club from the bottom half of the Championship to only missing out on the play-offs on the final day. He was also in charge of a memorable FA Cup<\/a> run, which included wins at Manchester United and over Tottenham.<\/p>\n Reflecting on his time at Boro, he said: \u201cYou get the noise and narrative, but I\u2019ve always said that I had a great 11 months up there. I was really disappointed it didn\u2019t work out in the way I wanted it to.<\/p>\n \u201cWere there mistakes made on my part? 100 per cent. But it\u2019s still a time I look back on fondly. Riley obviously scored, and I signed him. There\u2019s some good players there and it\u2019s a good football club.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not surprised by the journey they\u2019re on. I like the manager. We invited him in afterwards, and he came in and was very humble and spot on.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of connections in there. Hayden [Hackney] was starting to get in and around the group while I was there. And since then, he got his opportunity, he\u2019s really blossomed into the player that he is. He’s an outstanding midfield player.<\/p>\n \u201cWe like our midfield players here, but I think when you look at the standout midfield players and standout overall players full stop in the division, for me there\u2019s nobody better than Hayden.\u201d<\/p>\n ———-<\/strong><\/p>\n Here at TeessideLive, we are dedicated to bringing you the best<\/strong> Middlesbrough FC<\/strong> <\/a>coverage and analysis.<\/strong><\/p>\n Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest Boro news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking<\/strong> here<\/strong> <\/a>to subscribe.<\/strong><\/p>\n Your information will be hidden, you’ll only ever receive messages from the Teesside Live sports team, and you can leave any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘Exit group’. 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