Brereton Diaz winner lifts Sheffield United to tenth after Wrexham win

Sheffield United beat Wrexham 1-0 at Bramall Lane on Friday, with Ben Brereton Diaz's first goal of the season moving the hosts into tenth place in the Championship. BBC Sport reported that the victory extended United's unbeaten league sequence to three matches and left them one point outside the play-off positions before the rest of the weekend's fixtures.

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The decisive moment came in the 30th minute. Anthony Patterson stopped a curling effort from Jordan Ayew but could not hold the ball, allowing Brereton Diaz to finish from close range. United had already threatened through Ayew and Sydie Peck, although neither had forced Patterson into action with those earlier opportunities. Wrexham's main first-half opening was a Lewis O'Brien shot blocked by home captain Japhet Tanganga.

United also appealed for a penalty shortly after taking the lead when Harrison Burrows went down following a challenge by Dom Hyam. The referee did not award a spot-kick, a decision that angered Chris Wilder, according to the BBC's match report. The hosts nevertheless retained their advantage through to the interval after having the better of the opening half.

Phil Parkinson introduced Sam Smith and Max Cleworth for the second half, and Wrexham offered more in attack after the changes. Kieffer Moore, playing against his former club, sent an attempt over the bar. At the other end, Ben Sheaf intervened with a late challenge to deny Ayew a shooting opportunity after the forward reached a long delivery from goalkeeper Michael Cooper.

Both goalkeepers made saves during added time. Peck tested Patterson after a United counterattack, while Cooper dealt with Smith's header from an O'Brien delivery. That header was Wrexham's only attempt on target, according to BBC Sport. The visitors were without Josh Windass, Nathan Broadhead and Callum O'Hare, and finished the match unable to find an equaliser despite their improved second-half performance.

The result gave Sheffield United their fifth league victory and fifth league clean sheet of the campaign. For Wrexham, it meant consecutive Championship defeats for the first time this season and left them in 17th place. United also avoided a repeat of last season's two meetings with Wrexham, when they had taken the lead but lost on both occasions.