Sheffield United end 30-year hoodoo

Sheffield United 2

Early second-half goals from Shaun Murphy and Wayne Allison in the space of four minutes sent United into the fifth round of the League Cup for the first time since 1972, a feat they also achieved in 1962 and 1967, but have never surpassed.

For former Sheffield Wednesday manager Wilkinson, a staunch Owl, it was his first defeat at Bramall Lane in his long managerial career as he paid the price for fielding an under-strength side.

The first chance did not materialise until the 11th minute. Sunderland captain-for-the-night and former Sheffield Wednesday centre-back Emerson Thome leant on Allison just outside the area, resulting in a Michael Tonge free-kick whipped in behind the visitors' defence.

Shaun Murphy had sprung the Sunderland offside trap. But his attempted stab from inside the six-yard box as Macho came to collect finished a yard wide, much to his frustration.

After Stanislav Varga had stretched to intercept a Peter Ndlovu right-wing cross the ball ballooning into the air for Macho to make a scrambling catch low to his right Sunderland quickly countered.

From out of the blue, Scotland international striker Kevin Kyle, partnering Marcus Stewart in attack, let fly with a 22-yard drive, which Paddy Kenny saved with his legs.

With Sunderland looking sharp on the counter, David Bellion surged his way to the dead-ball line before cutting back a cross for Stewart to unleash a half-volley which United skipper Robert Page blocked.

Moments later and Kyle was put clean through, but despite only Kenny to beat from 12 yards, he instead chose to play a poor ball into Stewart, allowing United to clear the danger.

Sunderland's George McCartney embarked on a mazy 48th minute run which took him to the edge of the Blades penalty area, only for his eventual shot to clip Page, taking the sting out of it as Kenny easily collected.

A crude 51st minute challenge from Varga on Ndlovu was just a yard outside the box, but from Tonge's lay-off, Stuart McCall smashed a 20-yard shot into an advancing defender.

But just two minutes later United grabbed the lead with a scrambled effort from centre-back Murphy, his third goal in his last seven matches.

Phil Jagielka's deep right-wing cross had Macho backtracking, forcing Varga into a panicky clearance which smacked against the underside of the bar while under pressure from Allison, but from a yard out Murphy was on hand to knock home.

United then doubled their lead in the 56th minute with a quick McCall free-kick knocked out wide right to Ndlovu to curl in a superb cross for Allison to head home his sixth goal of the season.

With his side 2-0 down, Wilkinson made an immediate change by bringing Stefan Schwarz on for Kyle, but Sunderland had appeared to run out of ideas as Kenny was enjoying a quiet time in the United goal.

Sunderland had a chance to pull one back in the 80th minute when a Schwarz through ball behind the United defence found Darren Williams, but his point-blank shot was superbly saved by Kenny.

When Kenny was harshly adjudged to have picked up a skewed back pass inside the area, it gave Varga a chance to hammer home a free-kick from just eight yards, but the wall on the goal-line held firm.

SHEFF UTD: Kenny, Jagielka, Murphy, Page, Harley, Ndlovu, Brown, McCall, Tonge, Asaba, Allison.

SUNDERLAND: Macho, Rossiter, Thome, Varga, McCartney, Proctor, Williams, McCann, Bellion, Kyle, Stewart.