Sheffield United are on the verge of securing a spot in the Championship play-off final following a commanding 3-0 victory over 10-man Bristol City on Thursday night.
Under the management of Chris Wilder, the Blades fell short to Leeds and Burnley in their pursuit of automatic promotion to the Premier League, finishing in third place.
However, United are now well-positioned to make a return to the top tier after a year away, thanks to their impressive performance in the first leg of the semi-final at Ashton Gate.
While it was clear that United would clinch at least a play-off berth weeks in advance, City only secured their place on the final day of the season when Millwall, their competitors for a top-six finish, lost to Burnley.
With a sizable 22-point gap between the two teams in the regular season, United showcased their dominance over the west country side.
Harrison Burrows opened the scoring with a penalty just before the half-time mark, followed by goals from substitutes Andre Brooks and Callum O’Hare late in the match.
The Blades are expected to complete the task in the second leg at Bramall Lane on Monday, while Coventry will face Sunderland in the other semi-final first leg on Friday.
The turning point came during first-half stoppage time when Rob Dickie received a red card for fouling Kieffer Moore as he broke free on goal.
Burrows calmly converted the penalty, and with Brooks and O’Hare finding the net within six minutes, United fans are now dreaming of a trip to Wembley for the final.
This marks City’s first appearance in the Championship play-offs since their defeat to Hull in the final 17 years ago.
However, United are only the third team in Championship history to accumulate 90 points and still miss out on automatic promotion.
Their evident superiority suggests a strong likelihood of a return to the Premier League.
Revisit the match highlights here.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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