Result: Billy Sharp nets winner as Sheffield United beat Bristol City in FA Cup

sportsmole.co.uk, 10 February 2021, 22:17

Billy Sharp 's second-half penalty sent Sheffield United into the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory against Bristol City.

The Blades club captain tucked away the spot kick after VAR ruled that Alfie Mawson had deflected a goalbound effort from David McGoldrick on to the crossbar with an arm, an offence for which he was shown a red card.

Before that 65th-minute incident, the Sky Bet Championship team had succeeded in frustrating the side bottom of the Premier League, as Chris Wilder 's men dominated possession without creating too many clear-cut chances. The story of their season.

City can also take much credit for the way they reacted after the setback, but it was the Blades who advanced to the last eight for the second year running.

And Wilder will hope his players can continue to use their victories in the FA Cup to breed life into their Premier League survival hopes.

The hosts began positively but it was City who had the first chance of the game when the ball dropped to Tomas Kalas on the left side of the box following a free-kick. His shot forced Aaron Ramsdale to get down to his left and get a strong hand on the ball to push it away.

That would be as dangerous as the Championship club looked as the Blades dominated possession in the first half, without really troubling Max O'Leary in the away goal too much.

However, there was a let-off for City after nine minutes. Jayden Bogle cut in off the right flank and exchanged passes with David McGoldrick before finding Max Lowe's run into the box. Lowe only had the goalkeeper to beat but smacked his effort off the top of the crossbar and behind into the stands.

Bogle should have done much better than head the ball straight at O'Leary when he was found by Ethan Ampadu's pin-point cross 10 yards out just before the half hour mark.

Despite their dominance, chances were few and far between for the hosts and it was a sign of their frustration that John Lundstram decided to shoot from 30 yards out as half time approached. Bogle then curled an effort well off target from the edge of the box.

City had a huge chance right at the start of the second half. Joe Williams put Nahki Wells clear on the left but he opted to shoot straight at Ramsdale when he had the unmarked Jamie Paterson screaming for a tap-in in the middle. It was definitely the wrong decision.

City's goal led a charmed life just after the hour mark. Mawson deflected David McGoldrick's goalbound effort on to the crossbar before Kalas blocked the follow up on the goal line.

However, VAR showed that Mawson had turned the ball on to the woodwork with his arm, leaving referee Rob Jones no choice but to send him off for denying a goal scoring opportunity.

Sharp tucked away the penalty into the bottom corner, although O'Leary dived the right way and was close to it.

McGoldrick came close to quickly making it 2-0 but curled his shot just wide of the far post.

It could have got worse for City when VAR checked whether O'Leary had handled the ball outside of his area, but the decision was it hit his chest.

Wilder's side did enough to win the tie, thereafter. Substitute Oliver Burke saw an effort cleared from in front of the line in injury time after he had beaten O'Leary to the ball out wide on the left.

Top News

27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reportedly considering triggering the release clause of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi during the January transfer window due to their ongoing issues. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly made an offer for Paris Saint-Germain defender Nuno Mendes. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool boss Arne Slot will only be missing three players for Sunday's Premier League showdown with West Ham United at the London Stadium. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Juventus have reportedly rejected the chance to sign unsettled forward Marcus Rashford, with the Old Lady more interested in bringing in his Manchester United teammate Joshua Zirkzee. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk West Ham United manager Julen Lopetegui is grappling with a new selection crisis ahead of Sunday's Premier League visit of Liverpool to the London Stadium. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to hit the 45-point mark before the end of the calendar year, relentless Premier League leaders Liverpool head to West Ham United on Sunday evening for their final match of 2024. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly keeping a close eye on Dani Olmo's situation at Barcelona, with the Spain international potentially becoming available on a free transfer at the start of January. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Rangers will look to bounce back from a disappointing defeat last time out when they travel to Fir Park to face Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Celtic will aim to maintain their remarkable unbeaten status in this season's Scottish Premiership when they host bottom of the table St Johnstone at Celtic Park on Sunday afternoon. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk One team on an upward trajectory and another on a downward trajectory conclude their Premier League duties for 2024 at 3pm on Sunday, when Tottenham Hotspur welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to North London. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both seeking to end a sub-par year on an up note, AC Milan and Roma will close out 2024 with a Sunday night clash at San Siro. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou is at risk of being without a single senior centre-back for Sunday's Premier League home match against Wolverhampton Wanderers. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two of the Premier League's bottom-half battlers collide in their final match of 2024 on Sunday, as an off-colour Tottenham Hotspur welcome a reborn Wolverhampton Wanderers to their North London base. 27 December 2024 talksport.com Curtis Jones has revealed he received a touching message from former manager Jurgen Klopp following Liverpool's Boxing Day win over Leicester. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both in desperate need of some end-of-year inspiration, Premier League foes Leicester City and Manchester City play their final match of 2024 at the King Power Stadium on Sunday afternoon. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has acknowledged that he will "change something" for Monday's Premier League fixture at Ipswich Town. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Southampton will go in search of just their second Premier League victory of the 2024-25 campaign when they head to Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon to tackle Crystal Palace. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola is currently sweating over the availability of a handful of players ahead of Sunday's trip to Leicester City in the Premier League. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool may reportedly be offered the chance to loan out Federico Chiesa during the January transfer window. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Leicester City manager Ruud van Nistelrooy will be deprived of the banned Jordan Ayew for Sunday's Premier League showdown with Manchester City at the King Power Stadium. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Hitting low ebb after low ebb, Premier League champions-in-crisis Manchester City endeavour to close 2024 with an increasingly rare win away to Leicester City on Sunday afternoon. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Former Premier League official Dermot Gallagher has supported the decision to hand a red card to Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran against Newcastle United. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea will be aiming to bounce back from a home defeat to Fulham when they head to Ipswich Town in the Premier League on December 30. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United will be aiming to avoid a fourth straight defeat in all competitions when they welcome Newcastle United to Old Trafford in the Premier League on Monday night. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Level on points in the Serie A standings, Juventus and Fiorentina meet in Turin on Sunday evening, both aiming to stay in touch with the Scudetto race. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that Ben Davies will not be available for Sunday's Premier League fixture with Wolverhampton Wanderers, while Radu Dragusin is still a doubt. 27 December 2024 talksport.com Fulham's social media team aimed a brutal dig at former star Tosin Adarabioyo following their Boxing Day win over Chelsea. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Separated by four places in the Scottish Premiership table, St Mirren are favourites to close out the year with a positive result against Dundee in Sunday's gameweek 20 clash at the SMISA Stadium. 27 December 2024 talksport.com Jamie O'Hara has named the Premier League manager he wants Tottenham to poach as Ange Postecoglou comes under increasing pressure. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Out to avoid an embarrassing fifth loss from six Premier League matches, Tottenham Hotspur play their final game of 2024 on Sunday, when they host Wolverhampton Wanderers in North London.