Chris Wilder wanted this game to go ahead despite the news of positive coronavirus tests yet Sheffield United solemnly headed back over the Pennines as expected. Another defeat and they now lie a daunting 14 points behind Burnley.

These are two clubs going in different directions. Burnley are days away from a takeover, with prospective new owner Alan Pace’s ALK Capital group ready to rubber-stamp their deal in time for a January spend. The Clarets are beginning to find regular performances now, even with a stretched squad, and should kick on under Sean Dyche and with a new broom.

United on the other hand are marooned. Rock bottom, the first top-flight team in 118 years not to have recorded at least one victory by New Year’s Day and their task looks near impossible from here. That statistic is somewhat skewed by this term’s delayed start but one that cannot be is that they possess the joint-worst start to a season, of any division, in history. They are galling numbers.

Wilder had two players test positive for Covid earlier in the day, another going for further examination, and with ‘four or five’ of his backroom staff also self-isolating. Yet with a bench of just seven - and without Billy Sharp, Oli McBurnie and Phil Jagielka – they ploughed on. 

‘We just notified the relevant authorities that we have had a situation at the club but I want to play, that’s how it is,’ Wilder said. ‘We were not looking to get anything canned.

‘We struggled to find that space and that pass that would get us back in the game. I am saying the same thing again, not showing that quality that decides the game.’

The Blades were actually fairly good for much of the evening. Rhian Brewster may have nudged them ahead when beating Nick Pope to a near-post corner – Josh Brownhill’s shoulder saving the effort on the line – but despite encouraging signs, they gave up three huge chances before the break.

Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes both missed theirs, or rather Aaron Ramsdale thwarted the pair bravely, but Ben Mee was not to be denied, his first goal at Turf Moor since 2015. He wrestled free of Ethan Ampadu to steer a header past Ramsdale from a simple routine corner on 32 minutes.

This is effectively Wilder’s problem this season. Another narrow reverse, with 11 of their 14 defeats coming by the odd goal. Small margins and all that, coming second best in the key moments.

‘I thought we were outstanding,’ Dyche said. ‘We knew it would be a tight game. They are fighting and put us under pressure.’

United were threatening to force a way back into the game, attempting to secure only a third point of a wretched campaign, but just cannot score goals, having registered just eight all year. To nullify threat, Dyche reverted to five in midfield and Burnley saw the night out with ease.

Outgoing chairman Mike Garlick’s programme notes were headlined “out with the old, in with the new” – someone cheeky possibly pointing towards board-level movement – but their manager has no reason to be changing his tried and trusted method of engineering victories such as this.

‘We’re getting back to where we want to be,’ Mee said. ‘We are tough to beat and that will get us back up the table.’