Sheffield United 2 Nottingham Forest 0 - Blades exert the pressure to put destiny back in their own hands

‘We’ve played our part, hopefully it has put some pressure on Leeds United’, their rivals for second place who were due to kick-off against lowly Wigan Athletic half an hour later.

Consider that pressure well and truly applied.

For two and a half hours later, a scenario that had seemed unlikely before the day began – unlikilier still at 3.20pm with Leeds United a goal and a man to the good against Wigan – had unfolded with Sheffield United back in second place in the Championship with their destiny in the promotion race in their own hands.

Quite a contrast to six days earlier, when it was the Blades who were crestfallen and Leeds who were dreaming about the Premier League, but such has been the nature of this Yorkshire tussle for a place at English football’s top table, that nothing should be taken for granted.

Certainly, no one at Bramall Lane will think the job is done.

But the initiaive is theirs once more because they overcame their nerves and quite frankly, an insipid Nottingham Forest team, to claim a first victory in three games.

Wilder said no team in this division is easy, before and after this game, but there can be no meeker opposition in the Championship right now than a Forest side yearning for the end of the season to come.

Still, they had to be beaten, and United did so after overcoming their early nerves and benefitting from the dismissal of Yohan Benalouane for a professional foul on David McGoldrick.

McGoldrick was the senior member of the team credited with driving the Blades forward this week, refusing to let them wallow in self-pity during training, and the running at the heart of Forest’s defence every opportunity he got.

That direct approach resulted in Benalouane’s sending off on 47 minutes and then the clinching goal from Enda Stevens five minutes from time, McGoldrick waiting for the perfect moment to release the overlapping left-back, who slotted the ball past goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon.The goal was greeted with waves of relief around Bramall Lane, the tension having ratcheted up because United had just begun retreating and allowing Forest onto them.

It evoked flashbacks to the previous Saturday when Millwall capitalised on those nerves with a ‘95th-minute’ equaliser, so Stevens’ intervention was timely.

As had been Mark Duffy’s splendid strike on 49 minutes, coming two minutes after Benalouane’s dismissal.

United, sensing the opportunity, struck while the iron was hot, Duffy collecting a half-clearance on the corner of the penalty area, taking a touch to compose himself and then curling the ball beyond Pantilimon’s outstretched fingertips.

“It was a big relief because the longer it goes on without us scoring, you do start hear the fans,” said Duffy, of the quelling of any gathering unease.

“It’s not always easy against 10 men. I’ve played against teams with 10 men and two banks of four and it’s tough, because they’re set.

“But it was just about being patient, moving them from side-to-side and when we get in there show a little bit of quality.

“We were a few passes away at the final ball from scoring three or four. That’s something we can work on.”

United had been patient and inventive in the first half, trying to play their way through Forest, waiting for the opportunity to arrive. Stevens had carried the most threat in the first half with his left-wing crosses while Gary Madine buzzed around in the absence of injured talisman Billy Sharp, as Oliver Norwood and John Fleck tried to create behind them.

Any frustration that they had not found a way through in the first half was not dwelled upon at the interval.

“‘Just keep playing the way we play, can we lift it a little more?’” said Duffy of the message from Wilder.

“We felt we were moving Forest from side to side.

“So it was a case of just building the momentum.

“We were kicking towards the Kop, just keep going, keep building and don’t get frustrated.

“We believed it was going to come and thankfully it did.

“Everyone will make a big deal about the sending off but at the end of the day it’s a last-ditch tackle, it’s not like a long ball that has got us in behind them.

“We’d broken their line to get in and David (McGoldrick) has done a bit of magic and gone past the defender and it’s a blatant foul.

“It was a result of constant momentum and building that pressure.”

Pressure that Forest could not withstand, and as it turned out, pressure that Leeds United could not handle either.

Sheffield United: Henderson; Baldock, O’Connell, Stearman, Cranie (Lundstram 79), Stevens; Norwood, Fleck, Duffy (Dowell 86); Madine (Hogan 66), McGoldrick. Unused substitutes: Moore, Coutts, Freeman, Washington.

Nottingham Forest: Pantilimon; Byram, Benalouane, Wague, Colback; Cash, Yates, Yacob (Appiah 75), Pele (Milosevic 48), Lolley; Murphy (Grabban 58). Unused substitutes: Steele, Watson, Osborn, Ansarifard.

Referee: A Madley (West Yorkshire).