Vini Souza and Jack Robinson almost had a fight on the pitch in the first half (Image: SKY SPORTS)
There were extraordinary scenes in Sheffield United's Premier League match with Wolves on Sunday afternoon as team-mates Vini Souza and Jack Robinson almost came to blows on the pitch. The two team-mates butted heads and shoved each other in a heated exchange and then had to be broken up by other members of the Blades' dressing room.
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The pair clashed shortly after Pablo Sarabia made it 1-0 to the home team at Molineux. Cameras caught the duo briefly squaring up and then shoving each other after Robinson had pointed at Souza while berating him.
After an unusual VAR check for a red card, during which Robinson remonstrated with the referee Darren Bond, as did Sheffield United captain Anel Ahmedhodzic, both players remained on the pitch.
Sky Sports commentator Don Goodman said: "He's [Robinson's] having his go at his team-mate and they end up having a little swipe at each other. Look, don't be sending any them off for that please.
"The ref's probably going to need to have a word but you don't want to see a ref give a red card for that. It's a thing between team-mates. Whilst we accept it's not what we want to see, you don't want to be seeing red cards for that in football.
"It's a bit of passion, they're upset, they're having a decent game then find themselves behind and Robinson is calling Vini Souza out. It's never a red card. Thankfully, the officials agree."
Jack Robinson and Vini Souza went head-to-head during the heated exchange (Image: SKY SPORTS)
The Sheffield United duo had to be separated by their team-mates (Image: SKY SPORTS)
Quite what Blades boss Chris Wilder will say about the incident remains to be seen. Dressing room infighting is the last thing Sheffield United need in their current predicament.
Defeat in Wolverhampton would leave them eight points adrift of Premier League safety with 12 matches remaining in the campaign. Wilder was only re-appointed as manager in December after Paul Heckingbottom was axed at Bramall Lane.
The Yorkshire club have won just three top-flight matches all season and after Sarabia's goal, they have conceded a league-worst 66 goals. That is at least eight more than any other team in the division.
Sheffield United have a huge task on their hands to prevent an immediate return to the Championship, having finished runners-up in the second-tier last season. Defender Robinson, 30, used to play for Liverpool and made 27 appearances for the Blades last term.
Vini Souza, meanwhile, joined from SK Lommel in the summer, costing £10million. The 24-year-old Brazilian, like Robinson, has appeared in nearly every Premier League game this season.
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Souza scored in a 3-1 win over Luton Town earlier this month, after which Wilder said: "We just need consistency from Vin. He's got the attributes, he's got the ability, but I just want that drive more often. We're into him. You've seen today, he's a big player for us.
"If we can get big performances out of him, it massively helps our chances of playing well and getting results. A lot's talked about football and the handbook and coaching and structures, in and out of possession, but the third goal was a desire to get from one part of the pitch to the other, to drive beyond people and get himself into a position to score a goal that basically sealed the football match.
"He's a central midfield player but sometimes when you see stuff like that, you've got to go and see it and feel it and take that opportunity. That's coming from somebody who's put an awful lot of work into his performance and it's late on in the game.
"That's desire, that. Jack Robinson's tackle and his attitude towards everything is desire, Max Lowe coming on after five minutes is a desire to do well, Ben Osborn's performance, and Rhian [Brewster] coming on having not played any football."
