Substitute fires Sheffield into quarter-finals

Sheffield United 3 Crystal Palace 1

Substitute Paul Peschisolido struck twice in the space of two minutes to fire Sheffield United into the semi-finals of the Worthington Cup for the first time in their history tonight.

The striker netted in the dying minutes to wreck injury-ravaged Crystal Palace’s fightback and set up a money-spinning encounter with Premiership opposition.

Palace, missing 11 players through injury and suspension, looked to have forced the game into extra-time with an equaliser just nine minutes from the end of a quarter-final tie at Bramall Lane that belatedly burst into life.

Blades skipper Robert Page was adjudged to have conceded an own goal to cancel out a first half strike from Carl Asaba.

But Peschisolido grabbed a controversial goal within a couple of minutes of replacing Asaba before netting moments later to leave the First Division outfit within two games of a dream appearance in the final in Cardiff.

Palace grabbed the equaliser their second half endeavours deserved as Tommy Black drove the ball into the area for Page to unwittingly deflect the ball past his own keeper Paddy Kenny.

Peschisolido, back from his latest injury, had an immediate impact as he headed the ball over Palace keeper Alex Kolinko after Michael Tonge had found Peter Ndlovu on the left.

Kolinko claimed that Peschisolido had been offside but his annoyance only earned him a booking from referee Eddie Woolstenholme.

And there was no doubting the validity of the substitute’s goal two minutes later as he latched onto a header by Wayne Allison following a pass by Page to flick the ball low into the corner of the net.

Asaba had received an apology today from Reading defender John Mackie after being the victim of racial abuse by his opponent following last Saturday’s Second Division encounter at the Madejski Stadium.

The Blades should have taken the lead after 18 minutes as midfielder Michael Brown, back after missing the Reading game through injury, sent Peter Ndlovu haring down the right.

But from Ndlovu’s cross, Allison spurned a golden opportunity by heading wide of Kolinko’s goal.

Palace, without so many first-team regulars, were content to rely on the odd breakaway but as the home side’s mounting pressure and superiority began to tell the breakthrough finally came.

Only Kolinko’s acrobatics as he arched backwards to tip over a 34th minute header by Shaun Murphy from Tonge’s cross had denied manager Neil Warnock’s men.

But from the resulting corner Tonge drilled in a far-post cross which Phil Jagielka headed back across goal for Asaba to nip in ahead of the defenders and divert the ball into the net.

It was his ninth goal of the campaign but first in the competition and had the majority of the 22,000-plus crowd scenting that first appearance in the semi-final stage.

The crowd were still celebrating the goal as Palace’s Andrew Johnson, whose penalty shoot-out miss when with Birmingham two years ago handed the cup to Liverpool, forced his way into the area.

Johnson tumbled as he was challenged by United skipper Page but there appeared no contact and the incensed home players clearly thought he had taken a dive as they squared up to him.

Palace could quite easily have found themselves level within eight minutes of the restart as they fashioned a succession of decent chances.

Central defender Kit Symons was left unmarked from a corner only to see his header rebound off a Blades defender then Page had to stretch to clear the danger with Johnson ready to pounce.

Johnson was becoming a more threatening figure for Palace by the minute and he forced a fine save out of Kenny before testing the keeper again a couple of minutes later as he cut inside from the left.

The prospect of having another crack at Premiership opposition following their victories over Leeds United and Sunderland in the previous rounds was beginning to get to the Blades players as they looked increasingly nervous.

But Asaba could have put the tie beyond Palace on the hour only to shoot high and wide while Ndlovu had an even better chance minutes later but saw his shot deflected for a corner.

Tonge came so close to making the game safe on 76 minutes as he dribbled his way into the area and produced a fierce shot that Danny Butterfield blocked on the line and somehow saw it lob over the bar.

Kenny produced a fingertip save to deny Hayden Mullins as the Palace skipper fired in a low shot.

He could do nothing about the own goal but Peschisolido popped up to leave Trevor Francis’ men shattered.