The 10 men of Sheffield United clawed back a 2-0 deficit against Coventry City who extended their winless run to eight matches.
Jose Baxter’s two-footed lunge on Adam Barton prompted a furious reaction from the Sky Blues’ players, after which the referee, Darren Drysdale, showed Baxter a straight red card.
After 33 minutes, the impressive Dominic Samuel got the wrong side of the Blades’ defence, carrying the ball into the box before slotting home with a low right footed shot.
Coventry doubled their lead just two minutes after the re-start. O’Brien fed Phillips, who centred for Samuel to see his snap shot saved by Turner. The rebound fell kindly for Samuel who smashed it into the roof of the net.
Sheffield United’s captain, Michael Doyle, pulled one back with a sublime left-footed chip on 78 minutes. The leveller came just two minutes later when the ball fell to Jamie Murphy who fired in a low shot from 25 yards.
Coventry drop into the relegation zone as Sheffield United maintain their position in the play-off spots. Under the circumstances, it is Sheffield United who will be most satisfied with the point.
Sheffield United
| Turner Tremendous save to deny Samuel from close range. | 7.0 |
| Brayford Constantly looking to start attacking moves down the right flank. | 8.0 |
| Basham Adept display at centre-back in the first half, then again in midfield during the second half. | 7.5 |
| McEveley Improved as the game went on. Excellent aerial presence, with a real talent for bringing the ball out of defence. | 7.5 |
| Harris Keen to get forward and supply crosses. Lacking precision today. | 6.5 |
| Campbell-Ryce A couple of incisive runs and crosses. Withdrawn after 45 minutes, presumably for tactical reasons. | 6.5 |
| Coutts Willing runner with the ball. Too often there was no end product. | 6.0 |
| Doyle Guilty of missed chances and conceding possession too often in the first half. Produces a special goal against his old team. | 6.5 |
| Murphy Didn’t get the better of the defence as he so often does. Assist in the first goal, before securing a point with a strike from distance. | 7.0 |
| Baxter Irresponsible two-footed lunge warranted a red card. | 4.0 |
| Done Excellent work rate. It’s a thankless task playing up front on your own at times – especially with 10 men. Should have notched with at least one of the two gilt-edged opportunities inside the 6-yard box | 6.0 |
Substitutions
| Kennedy Commanding in the air. Good distribution from the promising young centre back. | 7.5 |
| Freeman Supplied plenty of crosses, one of which eventually led to the first goal. | 7.5 |
| McNulty Very brief appearance on 86 minutes. | 7.0 |
Coventry City
| Jones Confident at dealing with crosses. Not at fault for the goals. | 8.0 |
| Phillips Impressive in the air. His cross led to the 2nd goal. | 8.0 |
| Pennington Excellent tackle on Done when he was almost clean through. Gifted Done a chance with a short back-pass. | 7.0 |
| Martin Fantastic in the air. Cool under pressure on the deck. | 8.0 |
| Stokes Overly reliant on his left foot. Lots of long balls. | 6.5 |
| O’Brien Involved in many of Coventry’s best moments. Had a decent shot in the first half. | 8.0 |
| Barton Very confident with the ball. On the receiving end of a two-footed tackle. | 8.5 |
| Fleck Pivotal to Coventry’s team. Regular runs deep into United’s half. | 8.5 |
| Williams A couple of decent tackles, but largely peripheral. | 6.5 |
| Tudgay Effective centre-forward, holding the ball up to bring others into the game. linked up well with Samuel. | 8.0 |
| Samuel Two super goals in a performance that deserved to win the match for Coventry. | 9.0 |
Substitutions
| Finch Presumably a tactical substitution to avoid a 2nd yellow for Barton. Immobile. | 6.0 |
| Thomas Great first touch. A few shots and a bit of flair. | 8.0 |
| Haynes A busy 20 minutes at left-back. United attacked this flank in the latter stages. | 7.0 |
Man of the Match
| Dominic Samuel A nuisance for the United defence. Strong and skillful with the ball, prepared to track back and tackle without it. Topped off with 2 goals. | 9.0 |
