McNulty grabs winner as Blades stun Saints

Sheffield United 1 Southampton 0 

The League One Blades, who reached the last four of the FA Cup last season, saw off West Ham in the second round and were at it again in a one-sided quarter-final as Marc McNulty’s 63rd-minute winner gave them a 1-0 victory at Bramall Lane.

McNulty pounced from close range and that proved enough, but their winning margin and Southampton’s humiliation would have been far greater had goalkeeper Fraser Forster not made a string of fine saves. The defeat is a fifth in a row and on this evidence the bubble has firmly burst on Southampton’s stellar start to the campaign, with the visitors worryingly out-fought by Nigel Clough’s men.

United hit the woodwork in just the third minute when Jay McEveley’s effort landed on top of the bar.

The hosts continued to impress and a rampant spell before half-time saw them nearly break the deadlock on two occasions. First, Louis Reed drilled a 20-yard effort just over the bar, and shortly afterwards Florent Cuvelier skewed wide from eight yards out.

Saints rarely threatened throughout and their misery was compounded at the death when Florin Gardos was dismissed for hauling down McNulty.

Yeovil Town will face Manchester United in the FA Cup third-round after beating Accrington Stanley 2-0 last night.

SHEFFIELD UTD: Howard, Flynn, Basham, McEveley, Harris, Reed (K Wallace 81), Doyle, Campbell-Ryce (Adams 46), Cuvelier (Baxter 73), Murphy, McNulty.

SOUTHAMPTON: Forster, Clyne, Fonte, Gardos, Targett (Isgrove 46), Schneiderlin, Wanyama (Alderweireld 74), Mane (Mayuka 71), Ward-Prowse, Bertrand, Long.

Ref: Chris Foy