Bristol City 0-3 Sheffield United: Clinical Blades punish 10-man Robins to take commanding first leg lead | OneFootball

Sheffield United will take a commanding three-goal lead back to Bramall Lane after a professional and ultimately emphatic win over Bristol City at Ashton Gate in the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final.

For Bristol City, back in the play-offs for the first time since 2008, it was a sobering return to the knock-out spotlight. Despite an unbeaten run of eight home games leading into this tie – a run bettered only by Leeds, Burnley, and United themselves – the Robins were undone by a ruthless second-half display from a side determined to put right their torrid play-off record.

It was a match that began in contentious fashion and ended with Chris Wilder’s side firmly in the ascendancy, capitalising on a first-half red card to take a significant step towards Wembley, and the Premier League.

As it happened

It had begun as a tight and nervy affair. The visitors thought they had taken the lead inside ten minutes, but Tyrese Campbell’s close-range finish was ruled out for offside after a scrappy build-up involving Sydie Peck. The decision was met with frustration from the visitors, with questions raised over whether Peck was unfairly impeding Jason Knight’s ability to clear – an incident likely to divide opinion on replay.

The Robins responded with a moment of inspiration, with Joe Williams rattling the crossbar with a thundering effort from distance, the closest either side came in the early exchanges. Robins keeper Max O’Leary, meanwhile, was busy at the other end, twice denying Campbell and producing a sharp save from Gus Hamer in rapid succession.

The game’s biggest flashpoint was still to come. Deep in first-half stoppage time, Kieffer Moore was brought down by Rob Dickie as he broke through on goal, and the City defender was shown a straight red card. That left Harrison Burrows with the responsibility from 12 yards, and the full-back made no mistake, sending O’Leary the wrong way to notch his third successful penalty of the campaign and give the Blades a precious advantage going into the break.

Sheffield United, whose play-off history has been bleak – failing to win promotion in any of their previous nine attempts – looked intent on finally rewriting the script. With a numerical advantage, the Blades asserted more control in the second half, though initially without reward. Peck saw a series of efforts fail to hit the target during a lively spell that also saw him booked for a late challenge. Despite their disadvantage, Bristol City held their shape admirably, limiting the visitors to few meaningful chances in the opening stages after the restart.

The Robins remained disciplined and compact, holding off sustained pressure, but the introduction of fresh legs proved decisive. Chris Wilder made a triple substitution just past the hour mark, and it paid dividends almost immediately.  Just six minutes later, Andre Brooks latched onto a low cross from Burrows – cleverly dummied by both Moore and Callum O’Hare – and fired home from close range.

Bristol City attempted to rally, with Anis Mehmeti forcing Michael Cooper into his first save of the half, but the effort lacked power and conviction. It was the hosts’ first attempt of note since Dickie’s dismissal.

The final blow came on 78 minutes: a Hamer corner was nodded down by Anel Ahmedhodžić, recycled by Vinícius Souza, and finished in style by Callum O’Hare with an audacious backheel. The celebration saw several United players mobbed by fans in the away end – a moment that felt symbolic for a club trying to shake off years of play-off heartache.

Bristol City, meanwhile, remain winless in their last eight meetings with Sheffield United, a record stretching back to 2019. While their 2024/25 home form had offered genuine encouragement, they will now need to produce something extraordinary at Bramall Lane – where the Blades lost just once since January – if they are to keep their Premier League dream alive.

The lineups…