In a drab game between two evenly-matched teams for the most part, United went closest to breaking the deadlock when they twice hit the woodwork before suffering just before the end of the game, when Chris Basham fouled Victor Gyokeres and former Blades target Martyn Waghorn stepped up to score the winner from the penalty spot.
United suffered another injury blow earlier in the game when Rhys Norrington-Davies was stretchered off and have now taken just two points from a possible 15 since returning from the international break, losing their grip on the automatic promotion places ahead of this weekend’s visit of promotion rivals Norwich City.
Here’s how we rated United’s players on the whistle at the CBS Arena...
13. Billy Sharp and John Fleck n/a
Fleck - Made his return from injury against his old club and received a ripple of applause from the home fans as he came on for Doyle. Sharp - Thrown on for final minutes but couldn't get Blades back on terms with a couple of half-chances Photo: Darren Staples