Manchester United suffered a shock 1-2 home defeat by the Premier League’s bottom club Sheffield United on Wednesday to leave Manchester City alone at the top of the table.

Substitute Oliver Burke grabbed the 74th-minute winner after Harry Maguire had cancelled out Kean Bryan’s first-half opener for the Yorkshire side who had won just one league game all season before their trip to Old Trafford.

City are top on 41 points, a point ahead of United who have played one game more.

Chris Wilder’s side went into the game with the worst record, after 19 matches, in Premier League history and without a league win at Old Trafford in 48 years while United were unbeaten in 13 league matches.

But with 38-year-old former Everton defender Phil Jagielka marshalling their defence, Sheffield United showed exactly the kind of determination and fight they will need if they are to somehow get out of trouble. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opted to rotate his team, leaving out Fred and Scott McTominay from central midfield and that had a big impact on the game with United lacking the intensity that pair have been providing in the middle of the pitch.

Sheffield United went ahead in the 23rd minute when Bryan headed in John Fleck’s corner with United keeper David De Gea flapping at the cross.

Solskjaer demanded his team pick themselves up for their trip to Arsenal on Saturday.

“Disappointed, we couldn’t get to the heights of the last few months’ football we played. Very disappointing, we couldn’t find a solution to their very compact block and good defence.

“That little spark, that edge, we didn’t have that extra creativity, imagination, the X factor we’ve had — it’s happened, we look at it, agree it is not good enough and go again,” he said.

“There is no time to feel sorry for yourself because Saturday you go again, we have Arsenal, we have to forget this, learn from it and move on.”