Sheffield United 1 Preston North End 0: Blades survive sliding doors moment to do just enough again

It was the 14th time this season they have come out on top 1-0 or 2-1.

There was no question they deserved to win against an unambitious Preston North End, but for long periods there was a question over whether they would.

Chances came and went and 10 minutes into the second half it was the visitors who nearly took the lead, Leeds United loanee Sam Greenwood hitting a shot against a post. Within a minute Tyrese Campbell had scored what proved to be the only goal of the game.

So the team which had 60 per cent of the ball and 11 shots to Preston's eight – a number plumped up late on – got their just rewards in the end.

It was Campbell's third winning goal of the season, his second in as many Saturday's, showing bravery and alertness to get his head on the end of a brilliant Harrison Burrows delivery.

He owed them that, mind.

The Blades ought to have been up inside a minute-and-a-half, Campbell having plenty of time to adjust to the deflection a Harrison Burrows cross took before it found him in space at the far post. The angle was tight, but not tight enough to excuse a centre-forward miscuing into the side netting.

When Ben Brereton Diaz put the ball in from the opther side in the fourth minute, Ryan Porteous' clearance went closer than he would have liked to his own net.

A lovely move featuring Burrows, Callum O'Hare and a gorgeous reverse ball from Gustavo Hamer played Campbell through, but Freddie Woodman came out to save with his legs.

Preston were doing their best to run down the clock – something their manager Paul Heckingbottom often complained about visiting teams doing at Bramall Lane when he was in the home dugout – and they looked better after Woodman went down in the 21st minute, forcing a virtual "time-out".

Porteous glanced over at a corner.

Still, though, the game was largely being played on the Blades' terms, and Porteous did well to get in the way of Hamer shot from about 35 yards when Woodman came out of his area to stop Campbell getting on the end of a Burrows pass.

Hamza Choudhury switched from right-back to his more favoured central midfield role for the second half and the brightness of mind and shrewd reading of the game which saw him make a number of vital interceptions paid off in the 51st minute when Brereton Diaz was released for a shot Woodman was equal to.

Shortly afterwards the new right-back, Femi Seriki got his feet in a tangle and allowed Robbie Brady to advance down the left. The former Hull City man found Greenwood, but he could only hit the frame of the goal when his parent club really needed him to find the net.

How costly it was would be ruthlessly exposed by Campbell a minute later.

That killer instinct deserted the Blades from there on, however.

Sydie Peck shot wide from a Burrows free-kick and with amer going off injured after 77 minutes, the home side sank back and invited pressure.

Even before then former Huddersfield Town loanee Kaine Kesler-Hayden had whipped over a dangerous cross which did not get the touch it deserved.

Cooper cut out a header from Andrew Hughes which would otherwise have teed up an Emil Riis tap-in, and Hughes and ex-Blade Ched Evans both pushed up Preston's shot count without overly extering the goalkeeper.

In many ways it was an unimpressive win. That in itself, though, is quite impressive.

Sheffield United: Sheffield United: Cooper; Choudhury, Ahmedhodzic, Robinson, Burrows; Peck, Souza (Seriki HT); Brereton Diaz (Rak-Sakyi 63), O'Hare (Holding 90), Hamer (McCallum 77); Campbell (Cannon 63).

Unused substitutes: Brewster, Moore, A Davies, Brooks.

Preston North End: Woodman; Porteous (Ledson 66), Lindsay, Gibson; Thordarson (Whiteman 73); Kesler-Hayden, Potts, Greenwood Brady (Evans 73); Riis, Keane (Hughes 73).

Unused substitutes: Cornell, Rodriguez-Gentile, Bauer, Tarry, Carroll.

Referee: J Busby