Bristol City 0-3 Sheffield United: Wilder’s Men Take Commanding Lead to Bramall Lane For 2nd Leg | OneFootball

Sheffield United thrashed the ten men of Bristol City 3-0 at Ashton Gate in the Championship play-off semi-final first-leg.

Harrison Burrows struck first from the penalty spot after Kieffer Moore was wiped out in the box which saw Bristol City defender Rob Dickie dismissed just before half-time. Andre Brooks was the super sub once more as he doubled United’s lead at the back post in the second half. Fellow substitute Callum O’Hare added a third for the Blades thanks to an unbelievable piece of improvisation from close range.

This win marks United’s first-ever promotion play-off first-leg away victory. It’s also the first time the Blades have ever scored more than two goals in a first-leg.

Chris Wilder made a plethora of changes from the final day. Michael Cooper was back between the sticks, Hamza Choudhury, Jack Robinson and Harrison Burrows joined back into the defence. Rhian Brewster, Tyrese Campbell and Kieffer Moore entered the attack.

Lineups

Bristol City: O’Leary, McCrorie, Bird (McGuane 74), Hirakawa (Roberts 45), Williams (Earthy 40), Mehmeti (Bell 84), Knight, Vyner, Dickie, Tanner, Wells (Armstrong 45)

Unused: Pring, Twine, Bajic, Cornick.

Blades: Cooper, Brewster (Brooks 67), Hamer (McCallum 85), Moore, Burrows, Ahmedhodzic, Robinson (Holding 81), Souza, Campbell (O’Hare 67), Choudhury, Peck (T. Davies 67).

Unused: A. Davies, Gilchrist, Shackleton, Cannon.

First Half

BRISTOL, ENGLAND – MAY 08: Harrison Burrows of Sheffield United celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Semi Final First Leg match between Bristol City and Sheffield United at Ashton Gate on May 08, 2025 in Bristol, England. (Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images)

The Blades thought they had seized the initiative just 10 minutes into the clash at Ashton Gate. A trademark long throw from captain Jack Robinson chaos in the City box, and Campbell rose highest to head into the net. The away end erupted in celebration, only for the assistant referee to raise his flag, ruling Sydie Peck offside in a tangle with Jason Knight on the goalline. It was a harsh call that denied United a deserved early breakthrough.

Despite enjoying much of the ball, the Robins rarely threatened in the opening 45 minutes. Their only real moment of danger came courtesy of Williams, who let fly from distance and rattled the crossbar with a thunderous strike that had Cooper beaten. The momentum, however, remained firmly with the visitors.

And the breakthrough finally came on the cusp of half-time. After a flick-on from Campbell, Kieffer Moore raced beyond Rob Dickie, who desperately tried to recover, tangling with the striker inside the box. While Dickie made contact with the ball after bringing down Moore, he denied the striker a clear goalscoring opportunity so the referee had no choice but to send Dickie off. Up stepped Harrison Burrows, who confidently sent O’Leary the wrong way from the spot to give the Blades a deserved lead.

Second Half

The second half began quietly, with neither side finding much rhythm until Peck tested O’Leary twice around the hour mark. His growing involvement ended shortly after, however, as he received a yellow card for a heavy challenge on Knight. That prompted a flurry of substitutions, with Chris Wilder introducing O’Hare, Brooks, and Tom Davies for Campbell, Brewster and Peck.

The changes proved decisive. Burrows delivered a low cross into the box from the left, O’Hare intelligently dummied at the near post, and Andre Brooks ghosted in at the back post to slot home United’s second, just seven minutes after coming off the bench.

Ten minutes later, the visitors sealed the points in style. From a Hamer corner, Ahmedhodzic rose above the defence to nod the ball down. Souza tried to smash it home but couldn’t get clean contact on it and only succeeded in helping it toward Callum O’Hare, who cleverly flicked the ball into the net to make it three.

Sheffield United now take a three-goal cushion to Bramall Lane to defend on Monday night, but they know the tie is far from over because anything is possible in the play-offs.