Asaba on target to console the Blades

Sheffield United 1 Nottingham Forest

As someone brought up in Sheffield as a Blades fan, this was one victory at Bramall Lane the Leicester manager, Micky Adams, would not have appreciated. Carl Asaba's 62nd-minute goal ensured Adams would have to wait for promotion, at least until Brighton come to the Walkers Stadium on Saturday.

On this evidence Sheffield United might fare as well as either of the automatically- promoted sides in the Premiership. Facing a technically-proficient Nottingham Forest two days after the grand despair of Old Trafford, United delivered an assured performance that ought to guarantee them a third semi-final appearance of the season, this time in the play-offs. Four more points would make it mathematically certain, realistically they are probably already there.

Logically, Bramall Lane should have been listless in the wake of the emotionally and physically exhausting FA Cup semi-final defeat to Arsenal. Instead, the second-highest league crowd of the season demonstrated the city would not desert its heroes.

Neil Warnock thought the defeat had inspired his players. "They would have seen the crowd at Old Trafford and said to themselves that they want more of this," the United manager said. "I still think they can get better; we can make games much safer if we take our chances."

Had Phil Jagielka's first-half header not come crashing down from the underside of Darren Ward's crossbar or had Peter Ndlovu not squandered an almost unmissable chance, United would have reached safety by half-time. Des Walker sent an astonishingly lax back-pass straight to the Zimbabwean, who was standing practically on the six-yard line but could muster no power in his shot.

The second half brought vindication. Wriggling through a string of tackles on the edge of the area Ndlovu threaded a ball through which for the second time in the game found a Sheffield United player in a position from which he could scarcely miss. On this occasion, Asaba, who has only just recovered from a debilitating Achilles injury, found the target.

Even at this weary stage of the season, Paul Hart's side refused to take the ugly, obvious route until they were muscled out the game in the latter stages. Hart was, nevertheless, disappointed by Forest's lack of punch, arguing that the routine of playing "once every two and a half days" was taking its toll as they strove to keep Ipswich at bay to secure their own play-off place.

After everything that had happened in the semi-final, Warnock would have appreciated a referee who did not smile unduly and who did not run into his players; and when Michael Jones stopped play when Michael Tonge lay injured, Bramall Lane launched itself into a chorus of: "Are you watching, Graham Poll?"

Sheffield United (4-1-3-2): Kenny; Curtis, Jagielka, Page, Kozluk; Rankine; Ndlovu (Montgomery, 85), Brown, Tonge; Windass (Murphy, 90), Asaba (Kabba, 86). Substitutes not used: Peschisolido, Morrison.

Nottingham Forest (4-4-2): Ward; Louis-Jean, Hjelde, Walker, Brennan; Thompson, Scimeca, Lester (Bopp, 77), Reid; Johnson (Westcarr, 80), Harewood. Substitutes not used: Doig, Jess, Roche (gk).

Referee: M Jones (Chester).