Skip to content
Full Time After Extra Time This is a live match. Extra Time Half Time

Southampton vs Sheffield United. Sky Bet Championship.

St. Mary's StadiumAttendance13,257.

Ward breaks Saints hearts

Image: Ward: Late winner

A last-gasp Jamie Ward winner for Sheffield United plunged Southampton into deeper relegation trouble.

Halford and Ward score for Blades, Surman for Saints

A last-gasp Jamie Ward winner for promotion-chasing Sheffield United plunged Southampton into deeper relegation trouble at St Mary's. Greg Halford gave the Blades the lead in the 35th minute before striker Darius Henderson was dismissed for the visitors five minutes later. Andrew Surman then seemed to have given the Saints a precious point in their bid to beat the drop but Ward claimed his first goal for the Blades to keep up their promotion push. Southampton, who have now won just one of their 16 home games in the Coca-Cola Championship this season, made a promising start and came close to taking the lead inside four minutes. Young striker David McGoldrick fired in a shot which Blades keeper Paddy Kenny pushed away for a corner and, from the resulting set-piece, experienced defender Chris Perry lifted his effort over the crossbar. A minute later another move ended with Adam Lallana seeing his shot blocked by defender Matthew Kilgallon before Henderson, with two goals in his last four league outings, drilled a shot wide from 20 yards. Brian Howard was also off target as the Blades began to get into the game. The home side created another opening after 15 minutes although Poland international Marek Saganowski, who has banged in four goals in his last three games, failed to force Kenny into action.

In front

However, the visitors went in front in the 35th minute through Halford, on a season-long loan from Sunderland. He scored his first league goal for more than five months when heading home Nick Montgomery's cross. But the Blades suffered a setback when Henderson was sent off five minutes before the break after clashing with Jan Paul Saeijs - his second dismissal of the season. Southampton head coach Mark Wotte made a change at half-time with Bradley Wright-Phillips replacing Simon Gillett. The move nearly paid off immediately as Wright-Phillips smashed a shot from 25 yards which Kenny parried and from the corner Saganowski headed Lallana's delivery over the bar.
On top
The home side were now on top and Saeijs and Saganowski forced Kenny into saves in quick succession and the Pole also blazed a shot wide as they searched for the equaliser. It was all one-way traffic and Kenny had to be at his best to keep his side ahead, his next save thwarting McGoldrick from the edge of the penalty area in the 65th minute. Danny Webber fired a shot wide for the Blades but back came Southampton and after Surman was foiled by Kenny, Jason Euell should have done better than to blast an effort off target. The Saints were doing everything they possibly could to get back on terms but McGoldrick, Wright-Phillips and Lallana also fired shots off target before more heroics from Kenny kept out Euell. Surman finally broke the Blades' resistance at the death but there was still enough time for substitute Ward, a recent signing from League Two Chesterfield, to steal it for the visitors with a shot in off the Saints' left post. The win cemented the Blades' place in the top six while Southampton remain three points adrift of safety.

Around Sky