Fleetwood Town 2 Sheffield United 2: Che Adams holds his nerve to see Blades end run of defeats

Che Adams celebrates scoring a late equaliser for Sheffield United against Fleetwood Town (Picture: Simon Bellis/Sportimage).

He equalised after Ryan Flynn had been fouled by David Ball and prevented Nigel Adkins’s team from suffering their third League One loss on the spin.

The visitors – despite Sharp being taken ill before kick-off – looked like they might end the run and take all three points when they took the lead with a goal credited to Matt Done.

But goals from Ashley Hunter and Marcus Nilsson turned the contest on its head.

Nick Haughton was shown a red card during the closing stages and, following several near misses, United’s pressure eventually told.

However, the outcome was another blow to their hopes of reaching the end-of-season play-offs.

United took a 30th-minute lead – that lasted barely 60 seconds. Done’s cross deceived Chris Maxwell, possibly due to a deflection off either Adams or a defender, following a fine passage of play.

But Fleetwood hit back immediately when Hunter headed beyond George Long before Nilsson handed them the lead on the hour mark.

It was the Swede’s first goal in English football and seemed set to be the decisive one too until referee Carl Boyeson punished Ball’s foul.

Dean Hammond, returning to United’s midfield following suspension, had been inches away from equalising with a quarter-of-an-hour remaining after meeting a clever free-kick over the wall. Substitute Paul Coutts tried his luck from long distance soon after and Chris Basham saw a shot scrambled to safety but United’s pressure eventually paid-off.

Fleetwood had been reduced to 10 men in the 88th minute when substitute Haughton was dismissed before Adams kept his cool from 12 yards out.

Fleetwood Town: Maxwell, Nirennold, Nilsson, Davis (Sowerby 46), Bell, Ryan, Jonsson, Ball, Hunter (Matt 76), Ameobi, Burns, Sowerby (Haughton 70). Unused substitutes: Grant, Gogic, Cole, Williams.

Sheffield United: Long, Edgar, Basham, Baptiste, Brayford, Cuvelier (Coutts 46), Hammond, Flynn, Done, Calvert-Lewin (Sammon 75), Adams. Unused substitutes: Howard, Campbell-Ryce, McGahey, Whiteman, Kelly.

Referee: Richard Clark (Northumberland)