January 2003

The Blades survived an Ipswich comeback to run out 4-3 winners in an exciting FA Cup 4th round tie at Bramall Lane. Ipswich looked to be heading for an unlikely replay in 10 days after battling back from three goals down, but in the 89th minute substitute Paul Peschisolido raced clear to score and put United into the 5th round. Michael Brown had opened the scoring for the Blades on 19 minutes with a superb 25 yard volley after he cut in from the left flank. Phil Jagielka made it two on the half-hour mark when he reacted quickest to score after Tommy Mooney's header from a corner had rebounded back off the crossbar. And Brown grabbed his second of the game with what was almost a carbon copy of his strike in the Sheffield derby, when he volleyed home from the edge of the area on 64 minutes. But Town's comeback began when Thomas Gaardsoe pulled one back straight from the kick-off, curling a tremendous effort past United goalkeeper Wilko de Vogt into the top right-hand corner. Two minutes later they made it 3-2 through Tommy Miller from the penalty spot after Marcus Bent had been brought down by Jagielka. Darren Bent leveled things just moments later when he raced onto Darren Ambrose's through-ball to put his effort past the Blades' keeper. But, with just one minute remaining, Peschisolido dropped off the Town defence to latch onto a Wayne Allison pass and fire the Blades into the next round.

An extra-time goal by Michael Owen secured Liverpool a League Cup Final spot with a 2-0 semi-final, second leg win over The Blades. But, United Fans can look back on the evening and feel proud of the Blades performance. In the second minute Owen set up El Hadji Diouf in the box but hesitated and the Blades cleared the danger. Wayne Allison then headed a Wayne Quinn free-kick wide, before the Reds took the lead in the eighth minute. Owen collected a hopeful punt upfield by John Arne Riise and, after his effort was saved by Paddy Kenny, Emile Heskey fed Diouf, who fired home from the edge of the box. Phil Jagielka's 40th-minute header was inches away from pulling United level. Nick Montgomery had to be stretchered off with an ankle injury for the Blades with forward Tommy Mooney coming on. Heskey was just wide with a shot at the near post. United went into the interval level 2-2 on aggregate. After the break United began to warm to their task at Anfield and midfielder Michael Brown had keeper Chris Kirkland back-tracking to tip over an attempted cross. Steven Gerrard thought he had scored with a close range effort only for Quinn to get in a vital deflection. Danny Murphy headed narrowly wide for the home team while Kirkland was fortunate to escape with a yellow card when he handled outside of the area. Kirkland fumbled the ball as he was challenged by Wayne Allison, then clearly picked the ball up outside the 18-yard-box. Its fair to say that Kirkland should have been sent off - had the incident being at the other end would it have been a red card. From the free kick Mooney's rocket drive deflected for a corner just wide of Kirkland left post. At the start of extra-time, a Reds corner saw Sami Hyypia's header saved by Kenny, Mooney then headed just wide for the Blades. In the 95th minute Murphy needed lengthy treatment after a challenge by Heskey. On 103 minutes a jinking run by Owen nearly found an opening for the England striker. Minutes later, Owen beat Tonge and Murphy before firing his close range shot into the sidenetting. But Owen made no mistake three minutes later when he raced onto Gerrard's throughball and slotted past Kenny to send his side through. There seemed to be an unsavoury moment at the end of the match went Henchoz appeared to spit in the direction of Neil Warnock. The Blades have once again have proved they can compete with the best sides in the land, and can look back at this performance with pride.

A stunning Michael Brown volley helped United extend their unbeaten run to 15 matches, and subject Wednesday to another woeful defeat. Brown rifled a sweetly struck volley past Wednesday keeper Kevin Pressman on 65 minutes just moments after Steven Kabba had cancelled out Alan Quinn's 47th minute opener for the Owls. United striker Wayne Allison sealed an exciting contest by stabbing home from close range. United's unbeaten run, another Blades victory, has hoisted the Blades up to within three points of an automatic promotion place. While Wednesday remain firmly rooted one off the bottom, and continue on their slide back to where they belong Division Two. The Owls could easily have been behind inside five minutes. Dean Windass, rattled in a close-range left-foot shot against the angle of bar and post but Peter Ndlovu looped the rebound over. Pressman foiled Windass at point-blank range and the keeper had to be at his best again five minutes from the interval to keep out a Steven Kabba header. Pressman had been busy for most of the first half to deny Dean Windass, Peter Ndlovu and Steven Kabba. Wednesday's best chance of the first 45 minutes came on the stroke of half-time when a Shefki Kuqi run and cross just evaded Michele di Piedi. But within two minutes of the restart Wednesday did have a shock lead. Quinn latched on to his own flick on and sent a right-foot shot beyond the approaching Kenny from just inside the 18-yard box. But the Blades never-say-die approach got them back level in the 61st minute. Stuart McCall won a ball he perhaps had no right to, enabling Kabba to stretch and beat Pressman with a right-foot shot from eight yards. Just three minutes later, with Blades fans still celebrating, United then took the lead with a stunning 20-yard right-foot volley from Michael Brown. United were not finished yet, as an hopeless Wednesday team tried to find way to stop the Blades onslaught, Wayne Allison, a 72nd minute sub for Windass, touched home from close range after a superb jinking run and cross from Kabba six minutes later. Another superb performance from the Blades, and another win, United continue to close the gap on second-placed Leicester City and with a game in hand look a good bet for a return back to the Premier League, back where they belong.

A goal from Michael Brown with just three minutes remaining secured a 2-1 victory for the Blades at Division One leaders Portsmouth, as United moved to just six points away from the automatic promotion places. The game started at a furious pace and Pompey's Vincent Pericard injured United keeper Paddy Kenny with a late challenge in the first minute. Peter Ndlovu should have opened the scoring for the Blades in the 12th minute when he latched on to Michael Tonge's knock down, only to miss his kick with just Shaka Hislop to beat. But the Ndlovu made no mistake when Tonge presented him with another opportunity 11 minutes later and he fired the Blades into the lead with a left-foot shot from just inside the area. Steve Stone and Svetoslav Todorov both had good opportunities to equalise for Pompey before the break, but it was United who went closest when Brown saw his shot deflected on to the crossbar by Hislop. After the interval Harry Redknapp's men pushed for an equaliser but were frustrated by the strong defending of Robert Page, Shaun Murphy and Phil Jagielka. Vincent Pericard and Paul Merson managed to hit the woodwork on the rare occasions Pompey managed to break through the Blades defence. But with 12 minutes to play Gary O'Neil touched a Todorov pass past Kenny to put Portsmouth level. Neither side looked satisfied with a draw, and as both pressed for a winner Pericard missed a golden chance to clinch all three points for Pompey when his header was blocked by Shaun Murphy. Then, in the 87th minute, came Brown's decisive strike after Ndlovu had again beaten the home defence. United are now just six points behind Leicester City in Division One with a game in hand, while they have also reduced Portsmouth's lead over them to just ten points to leave the promotion race wide open.

Two dramatic late goals by Michael Tonge ensured Sheffield United beat Liverpool 2-1 in the League Cup semi-final first leg at Bramall Lane. Tonge fired his first goal home with 14 minutes left when his shot beat Chris Kirkland after good work by midfielder Stuart McCall. Just six minutes later the frenzied Bramall Lane crowd was able to celebrate again as Tonge shot home again after Wayne Quinn's corner had not been properly cleared. The game kicked off with Liverpool keeping England strike pair Michael Owen and Emile Heskey on the bench, with Neil Mellor and El-Hadji Diouf getting the nod in attack. Wayne Quinn played his first match after joining the Blades on loan from Newcastle. The Blades created the first chance of the match in the tenth minute but Carl Asaba blasted his shot over the bar. Mellor had an early chance to break the deadlock for Liverpool but fired his effort just wide while Hyypia headed a chance just over the crossbar. But Liverpool's latest find made no mistake when they took the lead 11 minutes before the interval. Danny Murphy's free-kick was headed on by Sami Hyypia and Mellor made a timely arrival to head home from eight yards out. Neil Warnock wasted no time in making a change after half-time, substituting Carl Asaba, who had been a doubt with a calf injury, with Nick Montgomery. Stuart McCall fired a long-range effort wide while Peter Ndlovu had an effort blocked by Stephane Henchoz. Liverpool had a chance to double their lead in the 66th minute but Paddy Kenny made a spectacular stop to deny El Hadji Diouf's close-range effort. Michael Brown received a yellow card after a challenge left Liverpool goalkeeper Kirkland in agony. The Blades stepped up the pace in the closing stages with Ndlovu being denied by Kirkland and Wayne Allison firing his shot over the bar. It was the signal for the telling late surge. Liverpool were under intense pressure, and finally cracked as the Blades were level after 76 minutes. Stephane Henchoz and Jamie Carragher combined to present McCall with possession and he created the opening for Tonge to beat Kirkland. And Tonge was on the mark again six minutes later as Liverpool sank to defeat. Liverpool failed to clear a corner, leaving Tonge to create space cleverly before beating Kirkland with a right foot drive from the edge of the area. The Blades superb victory ensures there is everything to play for in the second leg at Anfield in two weeks time.

After the match Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier launched a thinly-veiled attack on United, after his side slumped to defeat in the League Cup semi-final. Houllier was annoyed at the Blades' physical approach, particularly a second-half challenge by Michael Brown that left Liverpool goalkeeper Chris Kirkland needing treatment for a knee injury. Houllier said after the 2-1 defeat: "I am very disappointed because there were a few things I did not like about the game. We were expecting a physical challenge, but it was more than that at times. I don't want to comment on the incident involving Chris, but I'm pleased he did not have his leg broken. If he had not lifted his leg up he could have had his leg broken." Warnock when asked if he agreed with Houllier's assessment of the game as being over-physical said: "I would agree. I thought Liverpool were a little over- physical if I'm honest. I thought they could have had a couple more bookings, but I understand that because they are fighting for their lives."

The Blades killed off Cheltenham Town with goals from Shaun Murphy and Jon-Paul McGovern in a nine minute first-half spell. But it was lazy performance from United and manager Neil Warnock will be looking for more effort from his side when they meet Liverpool in the League Cup semi-final on Wednesday. Mark Yates tested United keeper Paddy Kenny with a long range strike and John Finnigan had a right-foot strike blocked as Cheltenham looked for an early opening. But is was the Blades who swept ahead in the ninth minute Murphy stabbing in McGovern's corner after the Cheltenham defence failed to clear the Australian centre back's close-range header seconds earlier. Paul Peschisolido picked out midfielder Nick Montgomery minutes later but he squandered the chance firing straight at Steve Book from 16 yards before United added a second in the 20th minute. Steven Kabba had time on the let flank to pump over a low cross, Peschisolido cleverly stepped over the ball as McGovern steamed in to crack it past the helpless Book from 12 yards out. Michael Tonge was foiled at the near post by the Cheltenham keeper on 32 minutes, Book spreading his body to block the young midfielder's fierce strike after McGovern's cross had flicked off the head of Michael Duff. Phil Jagielka almost snatched a third after 60 minutes with a stinging shot from the edge of the area spectacularly pushed round the post by the acrobatic Book before Kabba added a third in the 63rd minute, exchanging passes with Peschisolido before steering the ball into the left hand corner of the net. Kabba added the fourth with a close-range header six minutes from time.