They say you cannot win a two-legged tie after just 90 minutes but Sheffield United took a giant step towards the Wembley playoff final showpiece after surging to a 3-0 victory over 10-man Bristol City. For the Blades, who had an early goal questionably chalked off, their task was made considerably easier after the City defender Rob Dickie was sent off on the verge of half-time, allowing Harrison Burrows to strike from the penalty spot and give Chris Wilder’s side a leg-up. In the second half the substitutes Andre Brooks and Callum O’Hare sealed victory.
This time the billowing red smoke on the pitch came from the delirious United away end, where the injured homegrown Blades midfielder Ollie Arblaster was among those enjoying themselves. For all of the talk of the gulf between these teams, the 22 points which separated third-placed United and sixth-placed City in the regular season, ultimately the sending-off transformed this match. Now City’s only hopes of reaching the final hinge on an unthinkable – and sizeable – victory on Monday.
