Fulham 0 Sheffield United 1: Miller’s extra-time header sees Blades secure another top scalp

IT was not pretty nor was it particularly entertaining, but, on a night when a paralysing strike 
effectively shut down the London Underground from 9pm, Sheffield United were able to navigate their way through to the FA Cup fifth round in the most dramatic of fashions.
Sheffield United's Shaun Miller, centre, celebrates with his teammates towards their fans.Sheffield United's Shaun Miller, centre, celebrates with his teammates towards their fans.
Sheffield United's Shaun Miller, centre, celebrates with his teammates towards their fans.

With just one minute of extra-time remaining and two sides effectively gridlocked as a lacklustre tie seemingly headed for penalties, Shaun Miller swooped to head in from close range and send more than 3,000 Blades into raptures.

The impromptu party at one end of Craven Cottage was understandable. Not only had Nigel Clough’s League One team won at the home of a Premier League side for the second consecutive round but their victory had, once again, been fully deserved.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Okay, there may have been little of the flowing football and incisive attacking play that had brought victory at Aston Villa in the third round.

But United made up for that with sheer guts and a will to win that Fulham, despite Rene Meulensteen bringing back several of his big name stars, simply could not match on a cold and wet evening on the banks of the Thames.

The Blades will discover their fifth-round opponents tonight when Preston North End and Nottingham Forest replay. Regardless of whoever triumphs at Deepdale, however, United will surely fancy their chances of progressing further in a competition that is proving very much to their liking.

An exasperated Clough had threatened to “bring the youth team” to south west London in the immediate wake of Saturday’s defeat at Crewe Alexandra, when the performance by United had been comfortably the worst of his three-month reign.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

However, having calmed down over the intervening three days, the United manager left the youngsters at home.

He did, though, make four changes in an attempt to elicit a positive response from his troops, which is exactly what he got as the Blades more than matched their Premier League hosts.

Clough deserved credit for that, United’s 4-5-1 formation proving an excellent ploy in shackling Fulham on their own patch.

With Stephen McGinn dominating midfield and the defensive pairing of Neill Collins and Harry Maguire providing a rock-like foundation for the Blades, the London side were kept in such check that Mark Howard did not have a save to make in the visitors’ goal until midway through the second half.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Even then it was a miscued clearance from Collins that led to Howard being called into action.

Fulham’s lack of an attacking edge could, along with United’s tigerish display of tackling, be put down also to a robot-like mentality to keep possession at all costs when a quick ball forward would have been much more productive.

In this respect, Brede Hangeland and Dan Burn, the pairing at the heart of the Cottagers’ defence, were culpable due to a tendency to pass the ball among themselves three or four times before crossing the halfway line.

Such a ponderous approach merely allowed United to get back in numbers whenever they lost possession and the upshot was a first-half stalemate in which neither goalkeeper had a save to make.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Of the two efforts on goal in a largely insipid opening 45 minutes, the Blades went closest to breaking the deadlock when Jamie Murphy’s 20-yard effort screwed inches wide of the target.

Murphy was also involved in the visitors’ other good opening of the first half when, after intelligently finding space on the right, he swung over a deep cross that Stefan Scougall headed wide.

That both chances were the closest a crowd of 10,139 came to seeing a breakthrough in the opening 45 minutes said everything about how poor Fulham were, despite having many of their big guns back after sitting out the first game at Bramall Lane nine days earlier.

Clint Dempsey, Scott Parker and Hangeland were among those brought in by Meulensteen but the London side could offer little more than a few speculative shots from distance.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It was a similar story after the break, with United looking much more likely to break the deadlock as the wind and rain continued to batter Craven Cottage.

Bob Harris twice went close in the opening moments, first with a free-kick that curled just over the crossbar and then a shot that David Stockdale comfortably held.

Howard followed suit by making his own first save of the night on 67 minutes. It was not, though, to keep out a Fulham shot with the Blades’ goalkeeper instead having to divert a deflection from Collins away from danger.

The final quarter of normal time saw United dominate without being able to make the all-important breakthrough.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Scougall thought he had worked an opening only for his shot to be turned behind and then, from the resulting cross, Brayford met the ball sweetly only for a Fulham defender to again block.

A wonderful right-wing cross from Brayford then begged Jose Baxter to get a touch but the ball just evaded the United substitute as it flew across the six-yard box.

Once into extra-time, Brayford brought a fine save from Stockdale before Pajtim Kasami drilled a 114th-minute shot an inch or so wide.

That appeared to be that until Maguire headed McGinn’s corner back across goal for Miller to head in from close range and send United through.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Fulham: Stockdale; Passley, Hangeland, Burn, Amorebieta; Kasami, Tankovic, Parker (Sidwell 69), Kacaniklic (Duff 59); Dempsey; Rodallega (Dejagah 59). Unused substitutes: Stekelenburg, Karagounis, David, Christensen.

Sheffield United: Howard, Brayford, Maguire, Collins, Harris (Hill 91); Flynn, McGinn, Coady, Murphy; Scougall (Miller 97); Porter (Baxter 75). Unused substitutes: Long, Kennedy, De Girolamo, Dimaio.

Referee: N Swarbrick (Lancashire).