Sheffield U 0 Leicester 1: Blades sink back into drop zone after more home woe

Adams has injected fresh fight and dogged determination into his side but has yet to get the breaks in front of goal.

His former club Leicester City stole all three points thanks to a goal in the opening minutes by captain Andy King.

The Blades bossed the rest of the game but were simply unable to turn their possession into goals.

Defender Elian Parrino twice went close in the final minutes but his header was cleared off the line and then his volley was tipped over the bar by goalkeeper Chris Weale.

With Crystal Palace picking up a point away at Watford, they have now leap-frogged the Blades in the table and climbed out of the bottom three. The Blades, meanwhile, are back in the relegation zone for the first time since the opening month of the season.

Adams has bolstered his side during the January transfer window and will desperately hope to reap the benefit of his dealings over the next three months.

Defender Neill Collins had joined the Blades from Leeds United on Monday but had not been registered in time to play last night.

Midfielder Michael Doyle, signed from Coventry City last week, made his debut but struggled to make his presence felt and new striker Marcus Bent, making only his second start of the season, still looks rusty.

Just to rub salt into the wounds, on-loan defender Joe Mattock was stretchered off before the interval and is likely to be out of action for several weeks.

With the loan of Arsenal defender Kyle Bartley terminated, there was a hole to be filled at centreback last night so Adams turned to Johnny Ertl who prefers to play in midfield.

There was also a recall for Lee Williamson as Jamie Ward and Stephen Quinn dropped to the bench.

Big spending Leicester had been linked with a host of big names during the window and included four players on loan from top Premier League clubs – Yakubu (Everton), Patrick Van Aanholt, (Chelsea), Ben Mee (Manchester City), and former Blades youngster Kyle Naughton (Tottenham Hotspur).

This fortunate victory was the Foxes’ fourth in five games and lifted Sven Goran-Eriksson’s men to within four points of the play-off zone.

The Blades had won only one of their last 10 games and needed a bright start to boost confidence.

But there were just four minutes played when Leicester captain Andy King lobbed the ball over goalkeeper Steve Simonsen from 12 yards to put his side ahead.

It was a goal out of nothing and, as the game progressed, it was the Blades who looked the stronger side.

Former Leicester defender Mattock, now on loan with the Blades from West Bromwich Albion, endured a barrage of abuse from the away end.

But his evening was ended prematurely by an injury suffered in a tackle with Darius Vassell.

Mattock appeared to slip and fall awkwardly while attempting to win the ball and subsequently needed oxygen from paramedics as he was stretchered off the field.

The atmosphere inside the stadium changed during the stoppage, mainly due to the on-going abuse Mattock received from the Leicester fans.

Montgomery had tested goalkeeper Chris Weale with a 25-yard piledriver and the Blades kept up the pressure that had been building prior to the injury.

Lee Williamson curled a free-kick against the post and defender Ellian Parrino was only inches off target with a speculative shot from the edge of the area.

A Shane Lowry effort was deflected wide as the Blades headed into the break in the full knowledge that they had dominated without getting the reward their effort deserved.

It may not have been ultra-slick but it was certainly whole-hearted. Referee Darren Webb also turned down two penalty appeals for handball to add to the home crowd’s sense of injustice.

The Blades visit Ipswich Town this weekend and will have Collins available to bolster the back four.

But it is in attack where the side most needs a spark and the sooner Bent bursts into goalscoring form, the better the chances of avoiding relegation.

Sheffield United: Simonsen; Parrino, Ertl, Lowry, Mattock ( Kozluk 33); Williamson, Montgomery, Doyle (Yeates 70), Cresswell; Bent (Bogdanovic 76), Evans. Unused substitutes: Ward, Long, Quinn, Lowton.

Leicester City: Weale; Naughton, Bamba, Mee, Van Aanholt; Abe (Oakley 70); King, Wellens, Dyer (Gallagher 63); Vassell, Yakubu (Waghorn 86). Unused substitutes: Howard, Logan, Berner, Hobbs.

Referee: D Webb (Lancashire)