Sheffield United gained sweet revenge on Sheffield Wednesday with a 3-2 win in the 124th Steel City derby at Bramall Lane, but were made to sweat in a thrilling Coca-Cola Championship encounter.
Wednesday became the first Owls side to register a league derby double over the Blades in 95 years last season, but were put to the sword in the first half as the rampant Blades swarmed into a 3-0 lead through strikes from Jamie Ward, Darius Henderson and Lewis Buxton's own goal.
But Marcus Tudgay threw Wednesday a lifeline when he rifled the ball home at the start of the second half and substitute Etienne Esajas ensured a tense finale by arrowing a 25-yard free-kick into the bottom corner in the 65th minute.
Victory lifts the Blades up to fourth place in the table and leaves Brian Laws' Owls reflecting on a one-point return from their last three league matches in the space of six days.
Centre-half Andrew Davies was booked for a foul on Tudgay in the fourth minute and then forced Wednesday goalkeeper Lee Grant to tip his header from Keith Treacy's corner over the crossbar before Ward fired the Blades into a seventh-minute lead.
Home skipper Chris Morgan headed Treacy's corner down into the six-yard box and the little striker turned in a flash to shoot past Grant from five yards.
Blackwell's side doubled their lead in the 15th minute. The Owls defence only half-cleared from a free-kick and when Ched Evans arrowed the ball back into the penalty area, Henderson flicked out his left foot to divert the ball past the wrong-footed Grant.
The visitors were then dealt a hammer blow three minutes from the interval. David Cotterill swept a deep cross into the area from the right and the hapless Buxton, with the big frame of Henderson on his shoulder, headed the ball into the top corner of his own net.
Esajas replaced Owls winger Johnson at half-time and soon after the restart the visitors pulled a goal back when Tudgay lashed a right-footed shot from just inside the area into the bottom corner.
Esajas then hauled the visitors to within one goal of an unlikely fightback after Richard Wood was penalised for his challenge on Cotterill 25 yards from goal, with the Dutchman crashing his free-kick into the bottom corner. But the Owls could not find a leveller.
Comment 1 - 8 of 8
We on the up dil do1974 and will still be in the same league as you lot next year now go find a job you state scrounging scum
greshlad where are you in the league end of conversation ya p.r.i.ck
I was looking for the de dar scores for the carling cup but oh you S H I T heads have been knocked out early doors by lower league and how can you call yourselves big clubs not even 30k there steel s hity derby is just a joke nothing to compare with manchester liverpool birmingham and london derbys more like rotherham and chesterfield dil do1974 your in dream land your head is full of S H I T just like your grounds
we may be in the championship next year but the dingles wont you have to look forward to losing at rotherham next year pal just remember that when ya sat in ya cr.ap ground with 8000 other dingles dreaming of when you were once in the prem getting beat every week then too ya P.R.I.C.K
just keep taking the drugs it all looks a lot rosier but still championship football next year de dars your just not good enough
dont worry about him wendyroebuck67 hes a dingle so knows feck all about football he know quite alot about losing at football
And your a sad @#$%,funny how morgan got sky MOTM award,would not think he would have got that if he had been dirty would you??,what we sued them for is cheating, a bit ironic you say united are cheat's.Think you should go away and think about what you are going to write and grow up while you are doing it.You need to speak to someone and move on from this,BLADE'S fan's have, with the nice bit of compo we got from cheating wet ham.
Sheff u are cheats chris morgan is getting a dirtier player as every game goes by probably due to his lack of pace and lack of skill. no promotion again this year i wonder will they blame west ham
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