Sheffield United's points tally right now compared to 2018/19 under Chris Wilder | OneFootball

We looked at how Sheffield United's current points tally compares to their previous Championship promotion-winning season under Chris Wilder.

It has been an outstanding season so far for Sheffield United in the Championship and they look to be in a strong position to bounce back to the Premier League at the first attempt.

Sheffield United were relegated from the Premier League last season after just one year back in the division with a dismal total of just 16 points, while they also conceded 104 goals during the course of the campaign, which set a new top-flight record.

With ongoing ownership uncertainty at the club and a points deduction, manager Chris Wilder looked to have an unenviable job on his hands in the summer to get the club ready for the Championship, but he has exceeded expectations to have his side among the automatic promotion contenders this season.

Sheffield United look on course to achieve automatic promotion

Despite the many challenges he faced, Wilder oversaw a huge rebuild at Bramall Lane over the summer as he brought in 10 new signings, including the likes of Michael Cooper, Harrison Burrows, Callum O'Hare and Kieffer Moore.

Sheffield United have spent much of the season in and around the automatic promotion places, and while defeats against promotion rivals Leeds United, Middlesbrough, Burnley and Sunderland have threatened to derail their campaign, Wilder's men have shown an impressive ability to respond to setbacks.

In addition to their success on the pitch, there was further good news for the Blades in December when Steve Rosen and Helmy Eltouhky completed their long-awaited takeover, and the pair provided Wilder with strong backing in the January transfer window, with Harry Clarke, Rob Holding, Hamza Choudhury, Jefferson Caceres, Christian Nwachukwu, Ben Brereton Diaz, and Tom Cannon all arriving at the club.

The new additions have been a big boost to a squad that was starting to get a little stretched by injuries, and with new ownership now in place and Wilder signing a new contract to keep him at the club until the summer of 2028, United now have stability off the pitch, which will no doubt help them in their promotion push.

The Blades currently sit third in the Championship table with 61 points, but had they not received a two-point deduction at the start of the season, they would be level on points with leaders Leeds United.

As United continue their quest for an immediate Premier League return, we looked at how the club's current points total compares to the 2018-19 season when they previously achieved promotion to the top flight under Wilder.

Sheffield United's points tally compared to the 2018-19 season

It looked as though Sheffield United were set for a difficult season after they lost their first two games of the 2018-19 campaign against Swansea City and Middlesbrough, but what followed was a remarkable rise up the table that culminated in automatic promotion.

The Blades finished as runners-up behind champions Norwich City after accumulating a total of 89 points, and their success was made even sweeter by the fact they beat Yorkshire rivals Leeds to second place.

Given that Wilder is now back in the home dugout at Bramall Lane, comparisons with his previous Championship promotion-winning team are inevitable, and his current squad have performed significantly better in terms of points gained so far.

After 30 games of the 2018-19 campaign, United sat third in the table with 54 points, and they were three points behind second-placed Leeds and leaders Norwich.

That means that the Blades currently have seven more points than they did at the same point in the 2018-19 season, but with Leeds, Burnley and Sunderland also setting incredibly high standards, they have not been able to establish a commanding lead at the top of the table.

One of the decisive moments in the 2018-19 season came when United beat Leeds 1-0 at Elland Road in March, and with their record against their promotion rivals this season leaving a lot to be desired, they may need a few statement victories over the coming months in order to secure their place in the top two.