This is how it played out as Sunderland fall to defeat after controversial Sheffield United winner

The visitors played some outstanding counter-attacking football and were probably unfortunate to fall behind to Edouard Michut’s goal, but they appeared to benefit from a big slice of luck for their winner as Sander Berge appeared to try and intervene from an offside position, Tommy Doyle’s free kick then bouncing into the far corner.

It left Tony Mowbray’s side facing a significant gap to the top six, with a win against Luton Town imperative this weekend if they are going to retain play-off hopes heading into the final weeks of the season.

The two sides traded dangerous attacks in the opening stages, McAtee almost scoring straight from kick off and Ahmedhodzic nodding the corner just wide. The hosts went close when O’Nien spring Roberts free with a brilliant switch of play, the winger teeing up Hume who had an effort well saved.

It was an open game but quickly began to settle into a pattern of visiting attacks. Their pace on the break was too much for Sunderland, who were struggling to retain possession and keep their opposition at bay. There were shades of the Stoke City visit as N’Diaye burst through the middle of the pitch on a couple of occasions, the hosts saved by a brilliant Patterson save low to his right when Jebbison took aim from inside the box.

O’Nien then had to make a brilliant clearance from a low cross at the back post with two Sheffield United players waiting behind him to pounce, with Mowbray cutting an increasingly concerned figure on the touchline.

Sunderland did slowly begin to steady, and through the middle of the half the most notable action was two hugely contentious calls from the referee. The Black Cats were adamant they should have had a penalty when Berge appeared to use his hand to clear a Batth header, before the visitors surrounded the referee to demand red for a late Hume challenge.

A yellow was shown, and not long after the hosts had the lead against the run of play. Neil did well to draw in his marker before shifting it to Ba, who found Michut with an excellent through ball. From the Frenchman did superbly, shifting it out in front of him with his first touch and rifling it into the far corner with his second.

It was perhaps undeserved on balance, but the frustration for Sunderland was that they gifted up that lead on the stroke of half time just as they looked to be finding their feet in the game. Roberts tried to find Clarke with a through ball but it was too short and as they had threatened to do all half, the visitors then cut through them on the break. It was a brilliant finish from McAtee, driving into the box before calmly converting in the far corner.

Sunderland began the second half well and yet it was a game in which they were vulnerable with the ball, such was the threat of their opponent on the break. Neil did superbly to drive to the edge of the box but when United intervened they were able to spring forward rapidly, only a brilliant save from Patterson with his trailing leg denying N’Diaye.

The visitors did take the lead on the hour mark when a free kick from the left flank from Doyle bounced all the way into the far corner, Sunderland absolutely adamant that an offside should have been given for offside against players in Patterson’s eye line trying to play the ball.

Mowbray’s side were knocked by the setback and struggling to open their opponent up, but Clarke drew a fine stop from Foderingham when a loose ball broke for him in the box and moments later, Roberts hit a brilliant effort that curled agonisingly onto the outside of the post and wide.

Sunderland dominated possession in the closing stages and in truth had produced a strong second-half performance, but a lack of presence in the box was telling and the visitors were in the end able to hold on with relative comfort.

SAFC XI: Patterson; Hume, Ballard, Batth, O’Nien(Ekwah, 87) ; Neil, Michut (Gooch, 72); Roberts, Ba (Lihadji, 72), Clarke; Gelhardt (Pritchard, 72)

Subs: Bass, Anderson, Bennette

Sheffield United XI: Foderingham; Baldock (Bogle, 78) , Ahmedhodzic, Egan, Robinson, Lowe; Doyle (Norwood, 77), Berge, McAtee (Fleck, 79); Ndiaye (Sharp, 90), Jebbison (McBurnie, 69)

Subs: Davies, Basham

Bookings: Robinson, 19 Lowe, 23 Hume, 26 Doyle, 35 Ahmedhodzic, 54 Michut, 70 Ballard, 90

Attendance: 37,019