Bramall Lane was surrounded by snow when West Brom arrived for their relegation battle against Sheffield United earlier this month. Two roads into Sheffield were closed because of the wintry conditions, with a third passable only with extreme care. On a night when the Premier League's bottom two teams were battling for survival, the sense of being isolated and cut adrift felt gloomily appropriate.
Sheffield United would win 2-1 to claim only their third league victory of the season in 22 games, but Chris Wilder's team remained anchored to the foot of the table, one point behind Sam Allardyce's side.