Huddersfield boss Neil Warnock hailed Jack Rudoni as a ‘manager’s dream’ after the midfielder struck deep into stoppage-time to beat West Brom 2-1 and secure a first Sky Bet Championship win of the season.
Rudoni’s late strike ended Albion’s 100 per cent home record after John Swift’s had cancelled out Delano Burgzorg’s 33rd-minute opener for the visitors.
“It was nice to see Jack get on the scoresheet – him and Ben Wiles are manager’s dreams to work with,” said Warnock.
“Jack has got that in his locker, but not consistently at the moment and that’s what we’ve got to get him doing this season.
“Ben, Jack and Jonathan Hogg dictated the central area and we looked dangerous on the break.
“I’m so proud of the players – they couldn’t have given me any more.”
Warnock also singled out the efforts of Dutch forward Burgzorg, who scoring on his full debut following a loan move from German club Maine 05.
“Del took his opportunity because that goal was out of nothing really. He deserved the goal because he’d done so much work on his own,” Warnock said.
“He’s done really well and it’s hard for players coming in because the Championship is so physical.”
Warnock felt Huddersfield were good value for all three points after seeing Rudoni have an earlier goal disallowed.
“I thought we deserved it – I know they had a 10-minute spell when they scored but we had some great opportunities to have created better chances than we did,” the Terriers boss said.
“I didn’t see much wrong with the disallowed effort and I thought we kept plugging away, especially after they scored.
“They got the crowd behind them and you might have expected us to go under, but we defended well and broke well.
“I thought the subs did well and changed it again and gave a bit more and the fans were unbelievable and deserved that.
“We have been written off as relegation fodder, but we can go anywhere and get a result when we play like that.”
West Brom head coach Carlos Corberan was left to reflect on what might have been after substitute Josh Maja was denied by Huddersfield goalkeeper Lee Nicholls just before Rudoni’s dramatic late winner.
“We didn’t deserve to win because Huddersfield were better than us in many moments, they started better and were very competitive, which we knew they would be,” he said.
“I told the players it would be a real battle, especially in the middle of the pitch as they put a lot of physical players there – and the fact they hadn’t won a game beforehand made them more dangerous.
“Lee Nicholls won that game with the save he made, then we should have managed the next 40 seconds better.
“If we talk about the action before we conceded the second goal, we could have won because that was the one moment that could have made it 2-1.”
Huddersfield all but relegated from Championship while League Two play-off spots decided
Huddersfield Town saw their relegation from the Championship all but confirmed after a 1-1 draw with fellow strugglers Birmingham City on Saturday.
The Terriers avoided a defeat that would have seen them relegated on Saturday, but even a win on the final day over promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town will not be enough unless they overcome a huge goal difference of 15 goals with Plymouth Argyle.
Birmingham remain in the other relegation place and now must beat Norwich City to stand a chance of staying up with Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth and Blackburn Rovers also still in danger.
At the other end of the table, the Canaries dropped points in a 2-2 draw with Swansea City, leaving the door open for Hull City, who face Ipswich Town later today.
Sporting CP boss Amorim apologises for holding West Ham talks
Sporting CP coach Ruben Amorim has publicly apologised for holding talks with West Ham, who view the 39-year-old as a contender to replace David Moyes at the end of the season.
This week, widespread reports said Amorim had travelled to London for talks with the West Ham hierarchy, as they weigh up their options ahead of Moyes' contract expiring in June.
Moyes delivered the Europa Conference League trophy to the London Stadium last season but has long struggled to win over sections of the Hammers' fanbase, and a poor run of form has seen their hopes of European qualification fade in recent weeks.
Amorim, who led Sporting to the Primeira Liga crown in 2020-21 and looks likely to oversee another title triumph this term, has also been linked with Chelsea and Liverpool in the past.
He was roundly criticised for making the trip to London while still under contract, and on Saturday he admitted the visit was a mistake.
"So, let's get the elephant out of the room and I'll talk about it once," Amorim said in a press conference to preview Sunday's trip to Porto.
"The first thing is to say that the club was aware of my trip. It's important and changes the context.
"Then, let's talk about the 'cloak of secrecy' that surrounded the trip... I 'secretly' parked the car outside, secretly walked past 15 people and took photographs, then got on a plane behind the club's back.
"It didn't happen in secret or without permission. Obviously my trip was a mistake, the timing was completely wrong, it didn't seem right at the time.
"It was wrong, especially when I'm so demanding with my players and always the first to say that each one's actions can overpower the team. I have removed players from the squad for much less.
"It was my mistake, I have to accept it and live with it. It didn't seem so bad at the time but thinking about it later, it's very clear.
"Now it's time to move on. I apologise to the Sporting fans, the staff and, mainly, to my players for the mistake I made."
Wilder laments "complete lack of leadership" as Blades' relegation confirmed
Chris Wilder feels his Sheffield United side's "complete lack of leadership" has been a key factor in their relegation from the Premier League.
The Blades will be playing Championship football next term after a dismal one-season return to the Premier League in which they have won just three of their 35 league outings.
Sheffield United's 25th league defeat of the season confirmed their relegation as they were hammered 5-1 away at Newcastle United on Saturday despite Anel Ahmedhodzic putting them in front at St James' Park.
A drubbing ensued after Alexander Isak's leveller, and the final whistle condemned the Blades to the second tier with three games to spare.
In Wilder's view, the club needs to rectify a lack of on-field guidance if the Blades are to bounce straight back up, embodied by the tough outing at St James' Park.
Wilder told the BBC's Match of the Day. "There are plenty of games where we have been put to bed early but today we should have been 3-0 up at half-time. I'm scratching my head that it was 1-1.
"Newcastle up their game and get a head of steam. Then our old mistakes start to fall in and goals go from two to three to four to five pretty quickly.
"There's a reason why that happens. It's an incredibly young side and there is a complete lack of leadership out there. I thought at times I was going to have a heart attack in terms of trying to get the messages on."
Wilder acknowledged there could be tough times ahead for the club, though he hopes he retains the trust of the fans having been brought in for his second spell as Blades manager midway through the season following the sacking of Paul Heckingbottom.
"It's going to be a tough summer for everybody," Wilder continued. "We have not been good enough. The league has been too powerful for us right the way through the season.
"Sheffield United is a really good football club. I think everyone understands that but it's been a really poor season.
"I've still got another year left of my contract. I'd like to think that the supporters can trust me. I'm enthusiastic and committed along with my coaching staff to get it right. We know exactly what direction we need to go, what the culture is going to look like, what pre-season is going to look like."
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