By Richard Gibson For Mailonline
Published: 21:39 GMT, 4 March 2019 | Updated: 21:42 GMT, 4 March 2019
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The Steel City derby lived up to its name but unfortunately for Sheffield United there was no cutting edge to thrust them back into the Championship’s automatic promotion places.
Although they dominated a contest full of passion and commitment, the Blades could not come up with the goal that would have returned them into the top two at Leeds’ expense.
Ultimately they were left to rue a failure by the match officials to spot Gary Madine being manhandled at a first half corner by Sheffield Wednesday defender Michael Hector, as they found no give in their fiercest adversaries.
Henderson makes an excellent save from Hutchinson to keep Sheffield United in the match
Rolando Aarons of Sheffield Wednesday is tackled by Kieran Dowell of Sheffield United
Michael Hector of Sheffield Wednesday competes for the ball with United's Billy Sharp
Sheffield Wednesday (4-4-1-1): Westwood, Palmer, Lees, Hector, Iorfa (Fox 79), Reach, Hutchinson, Bannan, Aarons, Forestieri (Boyd 46), Fletcher (Nuhiu 90)
Subs: Pelupessy, Marco Matias, Dawson, Pudil
Sheffield United (3-4-1-2): Henderson, Egan, O'Connell, Basham, Freeman, Norwood, Fleck, Stevens, Dowell (Cranie 62), Madine (McGoldrick 68), Sharp
Subs: Hogan, Coutts, McGoldrick, Stearman, Duffy, Moore, Cranie
Referee: Peter Bankes (Merseyside)
This was not only a meeting of intense rivalry, though, but one between two of the division’s form teams: Wednesday’s return of a dozen points from six unbeaten matches since Steve Bruce arrived from a cricket sojourn in the Caribbean last month trumped by the 14 accumulated by United from their previous sextet.
It also pitched Bruce into a dugout head to head with Chris Wilder, one of his former Sheffield United players during his first managerial job 21 years ago.
Coincidentally, a 4-1 humbling at the hands of Wilder’s Blades contributed to a run of poor form that resulted in Bruce being sacked by Aston Villa last autumn.
Since moving to South Yorkshire, however, he has made those in blue and white stiffer opposition to beat and he made just one enforced change - Dominic Iorfa in at full-back for injured Newcastle
