Crawley Town 0 Sheffield United 2: McMahon in at the double to open Blades account and put Wilson’s men top of the tree for Christmas

Right-back Tony McMahon was the Blades’ unlikely hero, scoring his first goals for the club in his 22nd appearance.

Delighted Blades manager Danny Wilson said: “The fans were absolutely brilliant, especially to come down on a day like this when everyone was expecting the game to be off.

“That in itself was an inspiration to us and we’ve had a solid performance to go with it.

“We defended brilliantly throughout the game and we’ve had two terrific goals from two set plays. I thought we were virtually in control for much of the game.”

The match got the go-ahead after the Broadfield Stadium pitch had 40 tons of sand dumped on it, assistant referee Thomas Ramsey patrolling the touchline wearing golf shoes rather than football boots.

The Blades welcomed back striker Dave Kitson for his first start in 12 games after hamstring trouble in place of Chris Porter but it was McMahon, in his second game back after injury, who emerged the hero.

He handed United a deserved 30th-minute lead on the difficult surface with a sumptuous free-kick around the wall following Joe Walsh’s foul on Shaun Miller.

Having played his part in a masterful defensive display by the Blades, McMahon made it 2-0 with a stunning strike from 30 yards out in the 70th minute which eclipsed his first effort.

The former Middlesbrough defender found the top corner of Jones’s net after Walsh had committed another foul.

Crawley, who have won only once in nine league matches, had rare opportunities, but Hope Akpan was denied by goalkeeper George Long and Nicky Adams headed wide.

Crawley manager Richie Barker, who worked under Wilson during the former Northern Ireland international’s days at Hartlepool, said: “We probably didn’t create as much as we would’ve liked with the amount of possession we had. But we arguably had the better chances and didn’t make their goalkeeper work enough

“They are a difficult side to break down and that’s why they are where they are at the top of the league.”

Crawley Town: Paul Jones, Sadler, Walsh, Connolly, Hunt (Ajose 84), Adams, Bulman (Clarke 67), Simpson, Akpan, Mike Jones, Alexander (Akinde 74). Unused substitutes: Kuipers, Torres, Clifford, Davis. Booked: Walsh, Hunt.

Sheffield United: Long, Maguire, Hill, Flynn, Doyle, Blackman (Williams 90), McDonald, Miller (Cofie 81), Kitson (Ironside 69), Collins, McMahon. Unused substitutes: Westlake, McAllister, McFadzean, Coyne.

Referee: G Ward (Surrey).

Man of the match: Tony McMahon.