Sheffield United booked their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup as they recorded a 2-1 victory over Man City.
United book their place in the last 16
Sheffield United became the last team to book their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup as they recorded a 2-1 victory over Manchester City.
With not one of the cup's fourth round ties requiring replays, United ensured they were the final side to go into the hat for Monday's last 16 draw as goals from Luton Shelton and Jon Stead decided a thrilling encounter at Bramall Lane.
Shelton slotted home a gift from close range on 11 minutes after Michael Ball had made a hash of clearing a Lee Martin cross, as the City defender was distracted by balloons thrown onto the pitch by his side's travelling support.
The game then continued in a frenetic and entertaining style and the Blades, who sit 14th in the Championship, were to double their lead on 24 minutes as Jon Stead converted after good work from Derek Geary.
City grabbed a lifeline early in the second half as manager Sven Goran Eriksson introduced Daniel Sturridge at the break and the 18-year-old duly smashed in a 48th minute half-volley, but an equaliser was to prove out of reach for the Premier League club.
Robbo roused
For United manager Bryan Robson, the victory will have come as a major relief as there had been rumours this week his job was on the line following last weekend's 2-0 derby defeat at Sheffield Wednesday.
Even Robson must have chuckled to himself, though, at the comical nature of his side's first goal inside 12 minutes.
There had been little to separate the teams in the opening stages despite the fact Robson had made six changes to his team, including starting roles for Shelton and Stead.
The latter had come close in the ninth minute with a downward header onto a Shelton cross that had Joe Hart at full stretch.
But three minutes later a swift break down the left wing resulted in Martin - on loan from Manchester United - delivering a low, piercing cross into the heart of the area. The ball initially took a slight deflection off the leg of City captain Richard Dunne, and then onto one of the myriad of blue balloons floating around the area courtesy of the 6,000 City fans behind Hart's goal.
Ball was clearly confused as he completely missed his attempt at a clearance, while Shelton was almost also deceived. But the Jamaica international managed to steady himself and slip a simple six-yard shot past Hart.
City were also similarly fired up as they had three chances for an equalizer prior to Stead doubling United's lead in the 24th minute.
Initially, a fit-again Emile Mpenza planted a free header over the crossbar from eight yards.
Then Elano struck the left-hand post with a right-foot shot from 20 yards, and followed up shortly after with a curling free-kick that kicked up off the turf, only for Paddy Kenny to pull off a sensational one-handed save.
Double delight
Effectively, against the run of play, the Blades made it 2-0 to the unbridled joy of Robson on the touchline. This time the goal stemmed from the right wing and a cross from Geary the City defence struggled to clear, with the loose ball falling for Stead to drive home from 12 yards.
United managed to see out the remainder of the half without too much threat from their opponents, only to be caught out by a slice of magic from City's up-and-coming striker Sturridge.
Sturridge, who scored a hat-trick in City's 3-1 FA Youth Cup win over Reading on Wednesday, was in the right place to take a ball that had skimmed off the head of a falling Dunne from a Corluka corner.
Showing the composure of a veteran, he then knocked the ball up with his right knee before volleying home from 15 yards with his left foot.
That should have been the cue for City to mount a comeback, but not once did they manage to test Kenny again, allowing United to take their place in the last 16 with ease.
| Sheffield United |
Team Statistics |
Manchester City |
| 2 |
Goals |
1 |
| 2 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 4 |
Shots on Target |
4 |
| 5 |
Shots off Target |
5 |
| 3 |
Blocked Shots |
5 |
| 2 |
Corners |
6 |
| 15 |
Fouls |
8 |
| 4 |
Offsides |
1 |
| 3 |
Yellow Cards |
2 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 67.2 |
Passing Success |
75.4 |
| 32 |
Tackles |
22 |
| 65.6 |
Tackles Success |
72.7 |
| 41.4 |
Possession |
58.6 |
| 55.4 |
Territorial Advantage |
44.6 |
|
