Including the Zenith Data System Cup results of the early 1990s, this was Barnsley’s 2,000th defeat in all competitions. They have won 1,834 and drawn 1,294, scoring 7,080 goals and conceding 7,596.
Barnsley have lost three of their opening four league games for the first time since 2013-2014 when they went on to be relegated.
It is also the first time since that campaign that they have lost their opening three away league matches – they lost the first six.
The Reds have lost each of their last six away league matches going back to last season and nine of their last 10.
Sheffield United opened the scoring against Barnsley at Bramall Lane for the first time in five meetings. It is the first time in three that they have scored at all.
The Reds have now won only two of their last 15 games against The Blades but this was their first defeat in five trips to Bramall Lane.
Barnsley have failed to keep a clean sheet yet in 2017-2018- the last time they conceded in each of their first five games in all competitions was 2014-2015 (six)
They have gone ten league games since their last shut-out, their longest run under Paul Heckingbottom- prior to this they went 15 games without a clean sheet between 3rd October 2015 and 2nd January 2016 under Lee Johnson.
This was the first time Barnsley have failed to score in any competition in 2017-2018.
Angus MacDonald became the first Barnsley player to be sent off since Alex Mowatt was dismissed on his debut in a 3-1 defeat to Wolves at the end of January- ironically both those red cards came in the 42nd minute.
Sheffield United’s Leon Clarke was dismissed along with MacDonald – the last time a player from each team was sent off in a Barnsley game was also in Sheffield, at Hillsborough in February 2014 when three were given their marching orders (Emmanuel Frimpong and Jacob Mellis for Barnsley, Jermaine Johnson for Sheffield Wednesday) Barnsley also lost that game 1-0.
It is the first red card in this fixture in seven meetings, Paul Connolly was a 90th minute dismissal for the Blades in April 2010, MacDonald is the first Barnsley dismissed in this fixture since Anderson De Silva in 2008, in a match where United also had a player sent off – Ugo Ehiogu.
Including the two red cards yesterday, eight cards in total were brandished, the most in a Barnsley game, since last September when eight were shown in a 2-1 home defeat to Reading (7 yellows, 1 red)
Barnsley managed just a single shot on target, their lowest in a match since a 0-0 draw at Reading in February.
Jason McCarthy was replaced at half time, the first time in 50 games he has not completed the full 90 minutes.
Barnsley Team: