Sheffield United 4-1 Cardiff City: FLW report as Blades edge closer to Premier League return | OneFootball

Sheffield United took another step towards promotion this afternoon, beating Cardiff City 4-1 at Bramall Lane.

Paul Heckingbottom's side put a disappointing defeat to Burnley on Easter Monday behind them to dispatch Cardiff, coming from behind to win the Championship's lunchtime kick-off.

How did Sheffield United 4-1 Cardiff City unfold?

After seeing off Sheffield United's early dominance in terms of their territory, Cardiff asked the more serious questions when it came to final third play early in the game.

Jaden Philogene drove a shot wide and Adam Davies had to be alert to deny Ryan Wintle's dipping effort from distance.

Sabri Lamouchi's side, then, took a deserved lead through Sory Kaba's 18th minute penalty, as the 28-year-old converted confidently after Max Lowe's high foot had caught Jack Simpson.

Simpson was involved in the thick of the action at both ends of the pitch and was lucky to avoid a second yellow card on two occasions, having tangled with Iliman Ndiaye and clattered Jayden Bogle at different intervals, having already been booked for a pull on James McAtee.

McAtee was central to a lot of Sheffield United's good play and forced an equaliser with some quality attacking midfield play. He dropped deep onto a Sander Berge pass before driving at Cardiff's defence, beyond Mark McGuinness and into the penalty area. His finish past Ryan Allsop wasn't the cleanest strike, but it found its way into the corner.

Allsop would deny Ndiaye on two occasions on the back of that, whilst Davies reminded Bramall Lane of his quality with a crucial hand to deny Joe Ralls after he got the better of Jayden Bogle.

Through the week Heckingbottom had been forced to answer questions on the fallout from the incident that had led to Davies coming into the side for the suspended Wes Foderingham. Cross words with Jack Robinson will have been a distant memory, though, as the centre-back powered the Blades into the lead before the hour, meeting Tommy Doyle's cross with an emphatic diving header.

Philogene flashed another shot over the upright, whilst Davies was called into action to deny Andy Rinomhota's awkward effort. Connor Wickham, though, went closest to drawing Cardiff level again, smashing a shot off the woodwork.

That rally proved to be the final wake-up call Sheffield United needed, with Ndiaye latching onto a loose back pass from McGuinness, rounding Allsop and finishing into an unguarded goal.

Ciaran Clark stepped off the bench to score Sheffield United's fourth from a yard out after a cheaply conceded corner sparked chaos in the Cardiff six yard box.

How does the Championship table look?

Defeat for Cardiff leaves their position in the fight for survival a precarious one. Heading into the 3pm kick-offs, they are a point ahead of Reading FC and the relegation zone, at threat of dropping into the bottom three if results go against them this afternoon.

Sheffield United motor on, meanwhile, and are eight points clear of Middlesbrough and Luton Town in the race for second. Should results go their way today and midweek, they could be promoted by next weekend.