Poll - Sheffield United 1 Southampton 0: Blades set aside poor home form to stun Saints and reach last four

Two years on from Bradford City making history by reaching the League Cup final from the basement division and seven months since Hull City came so close to bringing the FA Cup back to the Broad Acres for the first time in 42 years, Sheffield United are the latest White Rose club scenting glory.

Marc McNulty’s second-half strike against Southampton means the Blades are through to the semi-finals of the League Cup for only the second time in their history.

It is a remarkable achievement for any League One club, never mind one that just last season battled through to the last four of the FA Cup before being beaten at Wembley in an eight-goal thriller.

Full credit, therefore, has to go to manager Nigel Clough and his players for a performance of true Yorkshire grit against a Saints side that, on this season’s results, is the fifth best in the country.

United never let the visitors settle on a truly pulsating night in which a mockery was made of the 44 places that separate the two teams in English football’s pyramid.

Saints manager Ronald Koeman let his displeasure show by refusing to shake hands with Clough on the final whistle.

This was no fluke, though, with Clough’s men being the better side for long periods and having by far the lion’s share of chances created to deservedly go through to tonight’s semi-final draw.

Whoever the Blades do face over two legs in January, it is a fair assumption that they will not take lightly a team that has now beaten four Premier League teams in 2014 as Saints joined West Ham United, Aston Villa and Fulham on a proud list of scalps.

What perhaps made last night’s victory even more notable was that it came on the back of a four-game winless run for the Blades at the Lane.

Home travails have been a feature of United’s season, in fact, with eight of their 10 league games at Bramall Lane having seen Clough’s men fail to score in the first half. They drew another blank against Southampton before the interval.

None, though, of the home fans in a 21,905 crowd that braved a cold Sheffield night had cause for complaint after a scintillating 45 minutes that set the tone for the night.

Snapping and snarling at the heels of the Premier League outfit from the very start, the hosts also carried plenty of attacking threat of their own.

McNulty missed the best opening of that first half, the striker slicing wide after a quite outrageous 180-degree spin and turn by Chris Basham out wide had opened up the Saints’ defence.

Earlier, another sublime piece of trickery down the right had seen Jamal Campbell-Ryce wrong-foot Ryan Bertrand before whipping in a cross that just evaded the on-rushing Louis Reed as a relieved Fraser Forster collected on his line.

Reed then shot just over when perhaps he could have squared to the unmarked Jamie Murphy before Southampton finally displayed some of the crisp passing football that has characterised much of their league season.

It came in stoppage time, as former Hull striker Shane Long got the better of Basham on the Blades’ right flank before crossing for Sadio Mane to stab just wide from inside the six-yard box.

It was a major warning for United and one that, judging by how well they played after the restart, had clearly been heeded.

First, Murphy found himself in space after being picked out by a left-wing cross but could only fire into the side-netting.

Then, as Southampton failed to deal with a curled Murphy free-kick, Forster had to save smartly from Jay McEveley’s flicked header before Nathaniel Clyne bravely threw himself in front of debutant Che Adams’s follow-up.

Forster was again called into action on the hour to keep out Michael Doyle with a one-handed reflex save after the United captain had been picked out by Adams.

It was a fine stop, but the Saints goalkeeper was unable to rescue his side again just three minutes later as the Blades took a deserved lead. A foul on Reed just an inch or two outside the penalty area created the opening, as a thunderbolt of a strike by Harris saw Forster fumble his attempted save.

The ball span backwards towards the line where McNulty made sure to prompt joyous scenes all around the Lane.

It was no more than United deserved and although Mane had a snapshot that went wide 20 minutes from time, Southampton rarely threatened an equaliser.

Instead, Murphy was twice denied by Forster and Jose Baxter had a shot blocked before Florin Gardos was red carded for a professional foul on McNulty as he threatened to race clear.

All that was left was for referee Michael Oliver to call a halt and ensure the Blades wil join Chelsea and the winners of tonight’s two remaining ties in the semi-final draw.

Sheffield United: Howard; Flynn, McEveley, Basham, Harris; Doyle; Campbell-Ryce (Adams 46), Cuvelier (Baxter 73), L Reed (Wallace 80), Murphy; McNulty. Unused substitutes: McGahey, Higdon, Turner, Kennedy.

Southampton: Forster; Clyne, Fonte, Gardos, Targett (Isgrove 46); Wanyama (Alderweireld 74), Schneiderlin, Ward-Prowse, Bertrand; Mane (Mayuka 71), Long. Unused substitutes: Davis, Yoshida, H Reed.

Referee: M Oliver (Northumberland).

Barnsley ease past Chester in FA Cup replay: Page 22.