James Shield's Blades player ratings from Bristol City 1 Sheffield United 0

Dean Henderson 6 Made one acrobatic save early on as Lee Johnson's men pressed for an opener before, one or two scares in front of him apart, enjoying a relatively routine afternoon in the south-west.

Chris Basham 6 Exactly the type of footballer managers love. Basham will never contend for too many man of the match awards. But he always gives 100 per cent. Moved into midfielder during the closing stages.

John Egan 6 Despite not impressing as much as he did during the Republic of Ireland's draw with Poland in midweek, the centre-half always looked to engage and pressure opponents when City edged forward.

Jack O'Connell 7 Physically strong and always imposing, the centre-half was the pick of United's three man rearguard. But only just. He did not pose his usual attacking threat but kept things simple at the back.

Enda Stevens 6 Charged forward whenever the opportunity arose and was defensively sound. A no frills, no fuss display from the Irishman although City substitute  and goalscorer Marley Watkins did cause him more problems.

Kieron Freeman 6 With George Baldock returning to the substitutes bench, the former Wales under-21 international knew he needed to produce a solid performance. He obliged, with City posing little threat down his side of the pitch.

Oliver Norwood 7 Struggled to make an impression during the early exchanges, the midfielder's influence grew as the afternoon progressed. His delivery from dead ball situations was excellent throughout. United could not make it pay.

John Lundstram 7 Drafted back into the team to replace the injured John Fleck, Lundstram made a nervous start but regained his composure by making a crucial clearance as City chased an early opener.

Mark Duffy 6 Controlled proceedings during an excellent spell midway through the first half. Used possession well whenever he had the ball but, that period apart, did not see enough of it for United's benefit.

Billy Sharp 6 Worked tirelessly in attack and showed he is more than just a goal poacher by producing two delightful passes which David McGoldrick should have turned into assists.

David McGoldrick 7 Did everything right other than scoring a goal. Which ultimately proved costly. The attacker caused problems with his movement and produced some lovely touches but missed three good first-half chances.

Substitutes: Conor Washington (for Sharp): Had one half chance after coming on during the second-half. Marvin Johnson (for Duffy): With City taking the lead, did not enjoy enough space to utilise his pace. Leon Clarke (for Lundstram): Introduced late, with too little time remaining to make an impression.