Sheffield United booked their place in the play-off final at Wembley later this month with a professional performance to dispatch Bristol City at Bramall Lane this evening. The Blades broke the back of the job last Thursday with a 3-0 win at Ashton Gate, with the same scoreline in the home leg booking a date with either Coventry City or Sunderland on May 24.
The Robins travelled north with a huge task on their hands and understandably made a strong start, but the Blades kept their heads and went ahead on the stroke of half-time when Kieffer Moore flicked home a Harrison Burrows corner. The lead was doubled in the second half via Gus Hamer’s deflected effort and at that stage, even the most pessimistic Blade could start to dream of Wembley.
Here’s how we rated the Blades’ players on a memorable evening at Bramall Lane...
9. Gustavo Hamer - 7.5
United's most creative outlet was really off the pace in the first half, with his evening up to that point summed up by an attempted outside-of-the-boot pass that he instead shelled straight to O'Leary in the City goal. Hamer's reaction said it all as he dropped to the turf in frustration, perhaps at the moment or his evening as a whole, but it got better in the second half when he doubled United's lead on the night with a deflected effort to put them 5-0 up on aggregate and firmly on the way to Wembley. Made way later on for Rak-Sakyi Photo: George Wood
10. Tom Cannon - 6.5
Got an opportunity to audition for a potential Wembley place after coming into the side for Campbell and almost cemented his chance early on when he swung a boot at the ball after Hamer, Peck and Moore combined before it went just over. Earned a rousing reception not long after for chasing down his man and blocking the clearance with a sliding tackle that Robinson would have been proud of. Had a couple more chances to get on the scoresheet but tried to play in Moore when he should have shot, and then shot when he should have played in Moore. Replaced by Brewster Photo: Andrew Yates
11. Kieffer Moore - 7.5
Caused chaos in the City backline on Thursday night so it was little surprise that he kept his place here, giving the visiting defenders similar headaches whenever United went a bit more direct with their play to miss out the press. He caught the eye just before the half-hour mark when he tried a rather audacious shot from the halfway line as the ball threatened to bounce out of play and got some stick from the City fans because of his Cardiff and/or Wales allegiances, but he shut them up in the perfect way with a flicked header from Burrows' corner to put the Blades 1-0 ahead just before half-time. Made way just after the hour mark but has done more than enough, you'd imagine, to have at least a good chance of starting at Wembley Photo: Simon Bellis
12. Callum O'Hare - 7.5
Replaced Brooks and almost had an instant impact as he set up Campbell with an intelligent low cross, before he sent the striker free again later on with a wonderful flick. Got on the scoresheet himself again later on with an emphatic finish, giving Wilder a real nudge in terms of his team for Wembley Photo: Nick Potts