‘Excellent’ Blades must go again versus Crewe

But Blades manager Nigel Clough was impressed by his team’s display, commenting: “The only thing that was missing was a goal.

“Once again, it was an excellent performance. Composed, controlled from start to finish.

“We restricted Crewe to one shot. (Goalkeeper) Mark Howard had one shot in the whole game.

“It’s not the lack of trying or going forward. We just need somebody with a bit of quality to put it in the back of the net for us.”

Jose Baxter missed the best chance of the afternoon as the hour mark approached when he shot wide with the goal gaping.

United, who spent most of this contest looking to go forward, were denied late on when Bob Harris produced a fulminating long-range effort which just went over.

Despite their best endeavours, Clough’s team could not produce the goal their dominant performance deserved.

Diego De Girolamo, recalled from a loan spell at York City, and Stefan Scougall were both tasked with trying to settle the tie at the first time of asking when they were introduced from the substitutes’ bench, but were unable to break the deadlock between the League One rivals.

The teams will meet in a replay a week tomorrow at Bramall Lane.

Crewe Alexandra: Garratt, Davis, Dugdale, Guthrie, Baillie, Turton, Grant, Atkinson (Jones 46), Leigh (Inman 80), Cooper (Waters 85), Haber. Unused substitutes: Shearer, Saunders, Ng, Ness.

Sheffield United: Howard, Alcock, Basham, McEveley, Harris, Flynn (De Girolamo 69), Doyle, Reed, Campbell-Ryce, Murphy, Baxter (Scougall 61). Unused substitutes: McGinn, McGahey, Porter, Turner, Kennedy.

Referee: M Russell (Hertfordshire).