Sheffield United 1 Southampton 2: Wounded Blades unable to paper over the cracks as referee takes the ire

At times when you saw Tom Davies playing the game at his own pace, you appreciated the quality of the central midfielder. A few Gustavo Hamer passes were lovely, but not backed up by enough around it.

The rest of it looked functional at best.

Yes, they can feel aggrieved by the poor performance of referee Adam Herczeg, but it should not disguise the fact than in a season the Blades need to end in promotion, their last with a parachute payment, and at the moment they look well short.

The outcome turned on a moment of ref rage by Wilder, but in truth the game never deviated – it was always Southampton who were the better side.

How Chiedozie Ogbene did not win an 80th-minut penalty was a mystery, as was why Peck had a 90th-minute goal chalked off, but that is not the same as saying that the 2-1 final score was anything less than the Saints deserved.

Under Russell Martin in last season's Premier League, they earnt themselves a reputation as a team who could pass you to sleep without every actually hurting you. And for a while under their new manager Will, still.

The visitors hogged the first-half ball at Bramall Lane, created the better chances, won a penalty, and still went in 1-0 down. Eventually, though, the game turned their way, dragged along by an excellent performance from centre-forward Ross Stewart.

Campbell is everything Southampton are not, regularly a bystander in the game until the minute to pounce comes. Twenty-eight minutes in, he pounced.

The Blades had only had their first chance of the game a minute later. Southampton, by contrast, should have been 1-0 up by then, Michael Cooper caught out trying to dribble the ball three yards out, only to recover when Stewart picked his pocket.

Later in the half, Alex McCarthy was nearly caught out by Callum O'Hare. They never learn.

Finn Azaz had shot over from the edge of the area.

Tom Davies had come to the rescue a couple of times, tackling and intercepting as well as he picked his passes on his first appearance of another injury-interrupted season.

The Blades briefly flickered into life in the 27th minute, Peck playing a lovely backheel to release O'Hare. He and before him Hamer could not find a gap to shoot into, and Campbell's shot was blocked.

But he was not going to be denied twice. When Hamer fed him a minute later he went around the outside of Joshua Quarshie and from a tight angle with a defender getting back alongisde McCarthy to leave very little net to find. He did anyway.

After that, Southampton continued dictating the game, and continued not to lay a glove.

Cooper had to, mind – saving low from Stewart twice.

Japhet Tanganga need to put in a good block after a lovely Casper Jander turn.

Just as first-half stoppage time was coming to an end, Cooper slid out to Stewart. He pulled his arms away but his momentum took his body through the striker.

The Kop did all it could to put Armstrong off from 12 yards and his kick was terrible.

Blades manager Widler caught the bug, booting the ball into the stands as the teams walked down the tunnel. An apology to the fan he hit did not save him from a red card.

Many a game has turned on a sending-off but it is less forgivable when you keep 11 men.

The Blades re-emerged for the second half still angry, the Saints steelier.

Hamer played in O'Hare from a clever free-kick only for McCarthy to save, and when O'Hare found Campvell for a shot not dissimilar in shape from his goal – but from a more sympathetic angle – he could not repeat the trick.

Southampton, meanwhile, sharpened up.

When Armstrong put a header against the crossbar, Stewart was alert to follow up.

Cooper was angry with himself for getting a hand to the shot without keeping it out. He was having one of those nights, controlling a Ben Mee pass behind for a corner shortly afterwards.

Six minutes later, Stewart was at it again, turning away from Davies and Mark McGuinness and blasting a howitzer of a shot from 25 yards. Cooper could certainly not be blamed for keeping that one out.

Despite all the substitutes poured on from the Wilderless technical area, it amounted to very little until Quarshie shoved Ogbene in the small of his back and head over heels in the penalty area. Herczeg waved play on.

Hamer's 89th-minute shot was Blades' first on target in the half, and won a corner. Peck headed in at the far post but the referee spotted something not obvious from the replays, which showed Nathan Wood more heavily involved in the wrestling than anyone.

Peck thought he had scored his first senior goal and demolished the corner flag celebrating, leading to long delays this only ramped up the tension.

So it was the sixth added minute whena foul on Cannon presented Hamer with a free-kick about a yard outside the area, but he floared it over with the aid of a deflection.

The full-time whistle was met with acrimony directed to the man in black. he had indeed had a shocker, but it saved those in red-and-white from some harsh words too.

Sheffield United: Cooper; Tanganga,McGuinness, Mee (Ings 82); Ogbene (Seriki 82), T Davies (Matos 70), Peck, Burrows (McCallum 85); O'Hare, Hamer; Campbell (Cannon 70).

Unused substitutes: Bindon, A Davies, Soumare, Barry.

Southampton: McCarthy; Edwards, Wood-Gordon, Quarshie, Manning (Roerslev 74); Jander, Charles; Fellows, Azaz (Robinson HT), Armstrong (Downes 74); Stewart (Archer 85).

Unused substitutes: Harwood-Bellis, Scienza, Fraser, Bazunu, Jelert.

Referee: A Herczeg (County Durham).