Sheffield United beat Wrexham to tear-up the FA Cup script and set up meeting with Tottenham Hotspur

But in front of the travelling circus which followed Wrexham and their Hollywood owners on the journey from north Wales, the interlopers came through. Only just, thanks to a combination of the visitors’ tenacity, some profligate finishing and, before Billy Sharp and Sander Berge pounced late on, a couple of dubious calls by the match officials. Tottenham Hotspur now await.

This slow burn of a contest burst into life after the break, with Anel Ahmedhodzic firing United in front before controversially conceding the penalty which allowed Paul Mullin to equalise. Wrexham’s leading goalscorer missed another, which again looked pretty dubious, and provided Paul Heckingbottom’s men with the platform to secure their victory a week-and-a-half after their equally compelling encounter at the Racecourse Ground.

Wrexham’s renaissance is one of those wonderful football stories which grips fans and philistines alike. But scratch beneath the surface and it is no fairytale. The access to funding actor Ryan Reynolds’ presence has opened-up for manager Phil Parkinson means the visitors can probably outspend most clubs in the EFL’s bottom two divisions. This definitely wasn’t ‘Dai versus Goliath.’ Even though United, second in the Championship, began the contest 71 places higher on the pyramid.

That gap was evident by the contrast in styles, with Wrexham surging forward on the counter and United adopting a more sophisticated approach.

In a sign that injuries, a transfer embargo and demands of the schedule is stretching his squad more thinly than folk might realise, Heckingbottom’s already short-handed bench was supplemented by youngsters. Nevertheless United’s starting eleven, including Chris Basham making his 500th career appearance, contained plenty of experience.

Wrexham looked to rough United up, aided and abetted by referee Leigh Doughty who clearly encouraged physical contact. But it was the intricacy of the hosts which initially dominated until the momentum began to shift.

Still, with Phil Parkinson’s men retreating whenever United were in possession, John Egan’s header from Ben Osborn’s corner was the closest they came to breaking the deadlock until James McAtee wasted a glorious opportunity midway through the opening period.

Helping to seize possession and darting through the middle, the midfielder elected to try his luck rather than square for Iliman Ndiaye and duly stroked the ball just wide. Moments later, Ahmedhodzic saw a close-range effort scrambled clear by Rob Lainton. With a little more composure, United would have found themselves in a commanding lead.

Early in the second-half, their persistence paid dividends. Collecting Sharp’s centre, Basham recycled the ball towards the Bosnian defender who combined with Ben Osborn beating Lainton at his near post.

Sharp spurned a chance to extend United’s advantage before a controversial call saw Wrexham draw level. Ahmedhodzic, again in the thick of things, pulled back Mullin as he spun towards the box. The foul occurred outside of the area but Doughty saw things differently and awarded a penalty. Mullin duly stepped up to claim his 28th of the campaign. He signalled for another soon after when Wrexham’s talisman went down despite seemingly avoiding Oliver Norwood’s challenge. Adam Davies saved, which allowed Sharp and then Berge to tear-up the script.

Sheffield United: Davies, Basham, Egan, Ahmedhodzic (Lowe 78), Robinson, Osborn, Coulibaly (Norwood 70), Berge, McAtee (Brooks 90), Ndiaye, Sharp ©. Not used: Foderingham, Clark, Arblaster, Marsh, Starbuck.

Wrexham: Lainton, Tozer, Young ©, Mullin (Bickerstaff 82), Forde, Dalby (Palmer 60), Mendy (McAlinden 60), Cannon (Lee 82), Lennon (O’Connor 74), Jones, Cleworth. Not used: Watson, Hossanah, O’Connor, Butler, James.

Referee: Leigh Doughty (Lancashire).

Attendance: 20,310.