Slavisa Jokanovic on the decision to bring off Sheffield United midfielder Conor Hourihane

In a first half which saw United lack energy, movement and urgency, the midfield loanee was the one to paid the price when he was replaced in the 38th-minute by Iliman Ndiaye.

The introduction of the youngster pepped up the Blades and even though Jokanovic's side were reduced to ten men early in the second half when Morgan Gibbs-White received a second caution, the hosts displayed more tempo in the second half and were close to a point before Jake Cooper's dramatic stoppage-time winner.

On the move to take off Hourihane, who was making his first start for United, Jokanovic, whose side face a Yorkshire derby at Barnsley on Sunday, said: "We did not have enough movement and did not connect. We did not find enough power.

"I took a decision to put one player more between the lines. In the first ten minutes of the second half, with 11 versus 11, I had the sensation that we play the better football.

We were organised and calm and created chances before and after the sending off but we were not clinical.

"(Before) We did not move enough and were so static. If you want to move the ball without making movement, it is so complicated. We started the problem and I had to change the shape a little bit, so I had more people moving between the lines. This is the principla reason why we made a change so early in the game.

"We cannot be satisfied with our performance for 45 minutes. At the other side, the team showed some direction (early in the second half) and I had some idea we could win the game. But unfortunately, we had the situation where we played with one player less.

"But we missed the energy and desire in the first 45 minutes."