Chris Wilder defends Sheff Udt’s discipline after two red cards at Charlton

Chris Wilder insisted Sheffield United are not a dirty side despite two red cards in the 1-0 loss to Charlton.

Sony Carey’s 46th-minute goal secured maximum points for the Addicks, who only got any foothold in the Sky Bet Championship match after the first-half dismissals of Djibril Soumare and Japhet Tanganga.

The duo received straight red cards from referee Oliver Langford.

Soumare was punished for a high challenge on Harvey Knibbs’ right ankle, while Tanganga was penalised for catching Carey with his forearm in an aerial challenge. Knibbs was carried off on a stretcher and returned pitchside in the second half wearing a protective boot.

Wilder felt Langford failed to show consistency, claiming Knibbs’ early foul on Sam McCallum, which did not even receive a booking, was as bad as Soumare’s tackle.

The Blades boss said: “This is not an ill-disciplined club. There is a mistimed tackle and a mistimed header.

“Sam is having stitches on his ankle. The linesman is right in front of him and shrugged his shoulders.

“We should have had a penalty. It is brilliant centre-forward play by Patrick Bamford. He is in the box and about to pull the trigger.

“I’ve had some really big highs and really proud moments and I’ve got to say the way my team played today is right up there, in terms of the first-half performance and the adversity we were up against.

“Is it easier to play against nine men? Of course it is. But they fought every minute of the game for their football club. It is a completely different animal to when I took over.

“The disappointment, and this isn’t through rose-tinted glasses, is that we should be out of sight at half-time, three or four. We never let the home team breathe – we got everything right. My only criticism of the afternoon is we need to be more clinical.

“The boy (Soumare) hasn’t gone to top him. Everyone will slow it down. One hundred per cent we will appeal the second one. He couldn’t wait to get his red card out.”

Carey’s sixth goal of the campaign ended a four-match winless run for Charlton.

But despite their significant numerical advantage, it still proved to be tense with the home support voicing frustrations.

“It was a bizarre win,” said Addicks manager Nathan Jones. “It doesn’t feel like the euphoria you should have when you’ve beaten Sheffield United at home.

“A win is a win. It was a strange atmosphere. They started fantastically well and we needed our goalkeeper to keep us level.

“When they went down to 10 men, we had a little more control and then more control again at nine men.

“We made the right substitutions, we scored the goal and had other opportunities.

“You have to control the game. You can’t just go gung-ho because they have good players – every time you turn the ball over they go at you.

“Two years ago this football club was losing to Northampton and were going 19 matches without winning. Now we are in the Championship, level on points with Sheffield United and above West Brom – ask any Charlton fan if they would have taken that.

“We could have been better today, but there was an edginess to everything we did. What Man City, Barcelona and Chelsea do against you is they work it and work it until the right opportunity comes along and then they score.

“I’m proud we have won the game. Could we have all made better choices? Absolutely. But we’ve just beaten Sheffield United for the second time this season.”