Category: Report

Nottingham Forest took a significant step towards reaching the Championship play-off final as a dominant display helped them to a 2-1 semi-final first-leg win over Sheffield United.

Jack Colback took advantage of an ill-timed slip from Ben Osborn to fire Steve Cooper’s men in front (10), before Blades captain John Egan was caught in possession by Joe Lolley, allowing Brennan Johnson to fire in an crucial, ice cold second (71).

But just as hope looked to be fading for United, they pulled one back in second-half stoppage time, as Sander Berge bundled the ball over the line, despite replays suggesting Jack Robinson handled the ball before doing the midfielder did so (90+1).

On Tuesday night at the City Ground, the teams will go to battle once more – in a game live on Sky Sports Football – for a place at Wembley on Sunday May 29.

Tuesday 17th May 7:30pm


Kick off 7:45pm

How Cooper’s Reds took a step towards Wembley

As South Yorkshire basked in temperatures of over 20 degrees, there was a party atmosphere at Bramall Lane, as the journey to Wembley began for two of the giants of the second tier.

In his programme notes, Paul Heckingbottom called upon the Blades fans to “understand how important the role they have in what we are trying to achieve is” and they responded as expected, creating a deafening cauldron of noise that clearly spurred the players on to an encouraging start.

It was nearly rewarded early on, too, when Sander Berge was bundled to the deck as he attacked a free-kick, though referee Andre Marriner quickly indicated that he would be taking no further action. But within seconds, Forest took the lead.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment, as Joe Worrall’s speculative aerial ball found Sam Surridge, who squared for Philip Zinckernagel. Ben Osborn lost his footing, the Dane had a shot saved by Wes Foderingham, but Colback was on hand to bail out his team-mate and find the net.

Sheffield United came close to drawing level when John Egan’s powerful, goalbound header was headed off the line by Surridge, but it was all Forest for the remainder of the half – they could quite fathomably have scored two or three more goals.

High-risk defending from the hosts allowed Johnson to drive into the box from halfway to sting the Blades goalkeeper’s palms, before Ryan Yates nodded wide unmarked. Foderingham then made a crucial save to deny Surridge from close-range, before clawing Johnson’s header away seconds later.

Though United were less vulnerable on the counter after the break, and their attacks became more coherent, time after time their finishing left plenty to be desired, while Brice Samba able to make numerous simple catches from crosses into the box.

And they were architects of their own downfall midway through the second half, when Egan was too slow to react to Lolley’s run, with the substitute able to get a shot away that was deflected into the path of Johnson, who finished coolly.

The hosts did, however, find a way to halve the deficit in the closing minutes, when Berge forced the ball over the line to renew Blades hopes ahead of Tuesday’s second leg.

What the managers said…

Sheffield United’s Paul Heckingbottom: “Their players are coming off gutted and ours are coming off with a chance. It’s half-time and we’ve been behind before this season and come back and won. We’ve got to recover and prepare as well as we can – that starts now.

“We went to the very end and our goal was pivotal for us. We knew they’d be coming and countering. They’ve got good players in transition and we weren’t good enough.

“In the second half we were much better. They defended their box really well and obviously when they break, their opportunities come when we’re stretched. It was an error which led to their second goal, but credit our players for fighting back.”

Nottingham Forest’s Steve Cooper: “I’m not going to walk out of here irritated that we’ve taken a lead in the first leg of the play-offs. There’s frustration of course that we’ve conceded and we should have scored more than we did, but it was a proper play-off game.

“In the second half they had more of the ball than we’d have liked, but we still looked a threat. If someone had said we’d have created that many chances in a game of that tension away from home you’d be very happy with it. We’ve got a lot of young players who haven’t experienced games like this. We’re very positive and we can’t wait for Tuesday now. Let’s go.”

Analysis: ‘Sheff Utd will be happier side after late goal’

Former Forest defender Michael Dawson on Sky Sports Football:

“Time will tell whether that goal will cost Forest. They could have been far more ahead. But at 2-0 there is always that opportunity. Sheffield United will be a lot happier now with the manner in which the game ended.

“If you’d asked them before the game they’d have snapped your hand off for a 2-1 lead. But they’ll be so disappointed with the goal they conceded.”

Former Sheff Utd midfielder Michael Brown on Sky Sports:

“That was the chance, right in the final seconds, they needed something going into the second leg. It was a disappointing performance overall but it shows how tight it can be, if you can get something at the end of it.

“Now there’s a bit more confidence on what was a real difficult afternoon for Sheffield United.”

Man of the Match – Brennan Johnson

“We’re in a good position from winning the game. We played well today and had a lot of chances. We’d have liked the advantage to have been bigger, but we’ll take any advantage going into Tuesday.”

What’s next?

The play-off semi-final second leg will take place at the City Ground on Tuesday May 17, live on Sky Sports Football; Kick off 7.45pm. The winner will face either Huddersfield or Luton in the play-off final at Wembley on Sunday May 29.

Nottingham Forest took a significant step towards reaching the Championship play-off final as a dominant display helped them to a 2-1 semi-final first-leg win over Sheffield United.

Jack Colback took advantage of an ill-timed slip from Ben Osborn to fire Steve Cooper’s men in front (10), before Blades captain John Egan was caught in possession by Joe Lolley, allowing Brennan Johnson to fire in an crucial, ice cold second (71).

But just as hope looked to be fading for United, they pulled one back in second-half stoppage time, as Sander Berge bundled the ball over the line, despite replays suggesting Jack Robinson handled the ball before doing the midfielder did so (90+1).

On Tuesday night at the City Ground, the teams will go to battle once more – in a game live on Sky Sports Football – for a place at Wembley on Sunday May 29.

Tuesday 17th May 7:30pm


Kick off 7:45pm

How Cooper’s Reds took a step towards Wembley

As South Yorkshire basked in temperatures of over 20 degrees, there was a party atmosphere at Bramall Lane, as the journey to Wembley began for two of the giants of the second tier.

In his programme notes, Paul Heckingbottom called upon the Blades fans to “understand how important the role they have in what we are trying to achieve is” and they responded as expected, creating a deafening cauldron of noise that clearly spurred the players on to an encouraging start.

It was nearly rewarded early on, too, when Sander Berge was bundled to the deck as he attacked a free-kick, though referee Andre Marriner quickly indicated that he would be taking no further action. But within seconds, Forest took the lead.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment, as Joe Worrall’s speculative aerial ball found Sam Surridge, who squared for Philip Zinckernagel. Ben Osborn lost his footing, the Dane had a shot saved by Wes Foderingham, but Colback was on hand to bail out his team-mate and find the net.

Sheffield United came close to drawing level when John Egan’s powerful, goalbound header was headed off the line by Surridge, but it was all Forest for the remainder of the half – they could quite fathomably have scored two or three more goals.

High-risk defending from the hosts allowed Johnson to drive into the box from halfway to sting the Blades goalkeeper’s palms, before Ryan Yates nodded wide unmarked. Foderingham then made a crucial save to deny Surridge from close-range, before clawing Johnson’s header away seconds later.

Though United were less vulnerable on the counter after the break, and their attacks became more coherent, time after time their finishing left plenty to be desired, while Brice Samba able to make numerous simple catches from crosses into the box.

And they were architects of their own downfall midway through the second half, when Egan was too slow to react to Lolley’s run, with the substitute able to get a shot away that was deflected into the path of Johnson, who finished coolly.

The hosts did, however, find a way to halve the deficit in the closing minutes, when Berge forced the ball over the line to renew Blades hopes ahead of Tuesday’s second leg.

What the managers said…

Sheffield United’s Paul Heckingbottom: “Their players are coming off gutted and ours are coming off with a chance. It’s half-time and we’ve been behind before this season and come back and won. We’ve got to recover and prepare as well as we can – that starts now.

“We went to the very end and our goal was pivotal for us. We knew they’d be coming and countering. They’ve got good players in transition and we weren’t good enough.

“In the second half we were much better. They defended their box really well and obviously when they break, their opportunities come when we’re stretched. It was an error which led to their second goal, but credit our players for fighting back.”

Nottingham Forest’s Steve Cooper: “I’m not going to walk out of here irritated that we’ve taken a lead in the first leg of the play-offs. There’s frustration of course that we’ve conceded and we should have scored more than we did, but it was a proper play-off game.

“In the second half they had more of the ball than we’d have liked, but we still looked a threat. If someone had said we’d have created that many chances in a game of that tension away from home you’d be very happy with it. We’ve got a lot of young players who haven’t experienced games like this. We’re very positive and we can’t wait for Tuesday now. Let’s go.”

Analysis: ‘Sheff Utd will be happier side after late goal’

Former Forest defender Michael Dawson on Sky Sports Football:

“Time will tell whether that goal will cost Forest. They could have been far more ahead. But at 2-0 there is always that opportunity. Sheffield United will be a lot happier now with the manner in which the game ended.

“If you’d asked them before the game they’d have snapped your hand off for a 2-1 lead. But they’ll be so disappointed with the goal they conceded.”

Former Sheff Utd midfielder Michael Brown on Sky Sports:

“That was the chance, right in the final seconds, they needed something going into the second leg. It was a disappointing performance overall but it shows how tight it can be, if you can get something at the end of it.

“Now there’s a bit more confidence on what was a real difficult afternoon for Sheffield United.”

Man of the Match – Brennan Johnson

“We’re in a good position from winning the game. We played well today and had a lot of chances. We’d have liked the advantage to have been bigger, but we’ll take any advantage going into Tuesday.”

What’s next?

The play-off semi-final second leg will take place at the City Ground on Tuesday May 17, live on Sky Sports Football; Kick off 7.45pm. The winner will face either Huddersfield or Luton in the play-off final at Wembley on Sunday May 29.

Nottingham Forest took a significant step towards reaching the Championship play-off final as a dominant display helped them to a 2-1 semi-final first-leg win over Sheffield United.

Jack Colback took advantage of an ill-timed slip from Ben Osborn to fire Steve Cooper’s men in front (10), before Blades captain John Egan was caught in possession by Joe Lolley, allowing Brennan Johnson to fire in an crucial, ice cold second (71).

But just as hope looked to be fading for United, they pulled one back in second-half stoppage time, as Sander Berge bundled the ball over the line, despite replays suggesting Jack Robinson handled the ball before doing the midfielder did so (90+1).

On Tuesday night at the City Ground, the teams will go to battle once more – in a game live on Sky Sports Football – for a place at Wembley on Sunday May 29.

Tuesday 17th May 7:30pm


Kick off 7:45pm

How Cooper’s Reds took a step towards Wembley

As South Yorkshire basked in temperatures of over 20 degrees, there was a party atmosphere at Bramall Lane, as the journey to Wembley began for two of the giants of the second tier.

In his programme notes, Paul Heckingbottom called upon the Blades fans to “understand how important the role they have in what we are trying to achieve is” and they responded as expected, creating a deafening cauldron of noise that clearly spurred the players on to an encouraging start.

It was nearly rewarded early on, too, when Sander Berge was bundled to the deck as he attacked a free-kick, though referee Andre Marriner quickly indicated that he would be taking no further action. But within seconds, Forest took the lead.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment, as Joe Worrall’s speculative aerial ball found Sam Surridge, who squared for Philip Zinckernagel. Ben Osborn lost his footing, the Dane had a shot saved by Wes Foderingham, but Colback was on hand to bail out his team-mate and find the net.

Sheffield United came close to drawing level when John Egan’s powerful, goalbound header was headed off the line by Surridge, but it was all Forest for the remainder of the half – they could quite fathomably have scored two or three more goals.

High-risk defending from the hosts allowed Johnson to drive into the box from halfway to sting the Blades goalkeeper’s palms, before Ryan Yates nodded wide unmarked. Foderingham then made a crucial save to deny Surridge from close-range, before clawing Johnson’s header away seconds later.

Though United were less vulnerable on the counter after the break, and their attacks became more coherent, time after time their finishing left plenty to be desired, while Brice Samba able to make numerous simple catches from crosses into the box.

And they were architects of their own downfall midway through the second half, when Egan was too slow to react to Lolley’s run, with the substitute able to get a shot away that was deflected into the path of Johnson, who finished coolly.

The hosts did, however, find a way to halve the deficit in the closing minutes, when Berge forced the ball over the line to renew Blades hopes ahead of Tuesday’s second leg.

Analysis: ‘Sheff Utd will be happier side after late goal’

Former Forest defender Michael Dawson on Sky Sports Football:

“Time will tell whether that goal will cost Forest. They could have been far more ahead. But at 2-0 there is always that opportunity. Sheffield United will be a lot happier now with the manner in which the game ended.

“If you’d asked them before the game they’d have snapped your hand off for a 2-1 lead. But they’ll be so disappointed with the goal they conceded.”

Former Sheff Utd midfielder Michael Brown on Sky Sports:

“That was the chance, right in the final seconds, they needed something going into the second leg.

“It was a disappointing performance overall but it shows how tight it can be, if you can get something at the end of it.

“Now there’s a bit more confidence on what was a real difficult afternoon for Sheffield United.”

Man of the Match – Brennan Johnson

“We’re in a good position from winning the game. We played well today and had a lot of chances. We’d have liked the advantage to have been bigger, but we’ll take any advantage going into Tuesday.”

What’s next?

The play-off semi-final second leg will take place at the City Ground on Tuesday May 17, live on Sky Sports Football; Kick off 7.45pm. The winner will face either Huddersfield or Luton in the play-off final at Wembley on Sunday May 29.

Nottingham Forest took a significant step towards reaching the Championship play-off final as a dominant display helped them to a 2-1 semi-final first-leg win over Sheffield United.

Jack Colback took advantage of an ill-timed slip from Ben Osborn to fire Steve Cooper’s men in front (10), before Blades captain John Egan was caught in possession by Joe Lolley, allowing Brennan Johnson to fire in an crucial, ice cold second (71).

But just as hope looked to be fading for United, they pulled one back in second-half stoppage time, as Sander Berge bundled the ball over the line, despite replays suggesting Jack Robinson handled the ball before doing the midfielder did so (90+1).

On Tuesday night at the City Ground, the teams will go to battle once more – in a game live on Sky Sports Football – for a place at Wembley on Sunday May 29.

Tuesday 17th May 7:30pm


Kick off 7:45pm

How Cooper’s Reds took a step towards Wembley

As South Yorkshire basked in temperatures of over 20 degrees, there was a party atmosphere at Bramall Lane, as the journey to Wembley began for two of the giants of the second tier.

In his programme notes, Paul Heckingbottom called upon the Blades fans to “understand how important the role they have in what we are trying to achieve is” and they responded as expected, creating a deafening cauldron of noise that clearly spurred the players on to an encouraging start.

It was nearly rewarded early on, too, when Sander Berge was bundled to the deck as he attacked a free-kick, though referee Andre Marriner quickly indicated that he would be taking no further action. But within seconds, Forest took the lead.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment, as Joe Worrall’s speculative aerial ball found Sam Surridge, who squared for Philip Zinckernagel. Ben Osborn lost his footing, the Dane had a shot saved by Wes Foderingham, but Colback was on hand to bail out his team-mate and find the net.

Sheffield United came close to drawing level when John Egan’s powerful, goalbound header was headed off the line by Surridge, but it was all Forest for the remainder of the half – they could quite fathomably have scored two or three more goals.

High-risk defending from the hosts allowed Johnson to drive into the box from halfway to sting the Blades goalkeeper’s palms, before Ryan Yates nodded wide unmarked. Foderingham then made a crucial save to deny Surridge from close-range, before clawing Johnson’s header away seconds later.

Though United were less vulnerable on the counter after the break, and their attacks became more coherent, time after time their finishing left plenty to be desired, while Brice Samba able to make numerous simple catches from crosses into the box.

And they were architects of their own downfall midway through the second half, when Egan was too slow to react to Lolley’s run, with the substitute able to get a shot away that was deflected into the path of Johnson, who finished coolly.

The hosts did, however, find a way to halve the deficit in the closing minutes, when Berge forced the ball over the line to renew Blades hopes ahead of Tuesday’s second leg.

What the managers said…

Sheffield United’s Paul Heckingbottom: “Their players are coming off gutted and ours are coming off with a chance. It’s half-time and we’ve been behind before this season and come back and won. We’ve got to recover and prepare as well as we can – that starts now.

“We went to the very end and our goal was pivotal for us. We knew they’d be coming and countering. They’ve got good players in transition and we weren’t good enough.

“In the second half we were much better. They defended their box really well and obviously when they break, their opportunities come when we’re stretched. It was an error which led to their second goal, but credit our players for fighting back.”

Nottingham Forest’s Steve Cooper: “I’m not going to walk out of here irritated that we’ve taken a lead in the first leg of the play-offs. There’s frustration of course that we’ve conceded and we should have scored more than we did, but it was a proper play-off game.

“In the second half they had more of the ball than we’d have liked, but we still looked a threat. If someone had said we’d have created that many chances in a game of that tension away from home you’d be very happy with it. We’ve got a lot of young players who haven’t experienced games like this. We’re very positive and we can’t wait for Tuesday now. Let’s go.”

Analysis: ‘Sheff Utd will be happier side after late goal’

Former Forest defender Michael Dawson on Sky Sports Football:

“Time will tell whether that goal will cost Forest. They could have been far more ahead. But at 2-0 there is always that opportunity. Sheffield United will be a lot happier now with the manner in which the game ended.

“If you’d asked them before the game they’d have snapped your hand off for a 2-1 lead. But they’ll be so disappointed with the goal they conceded.”

Former Sheff Utd midfielder Michael Brown on Sky Sports:

“That was the chance, right in the final seconds, they needed something going into the second leg. It was a disappointing performance overall but it shows how tight it can be, if you can get something at the end of it.

“Now there’s a bit more confidence on what was a real difficult afternoon for Sheffield United.”

Man of the Match – Brennan Johnson

“We’re in a good position from winning the game. We played well today and had a lot of chances. We’d have liked the advantage to have been bigger, but we’ll take any advantage going into Tuesday.”

What’s next?

The play-off semi-final second leg will take place at the City Ground on Tuesday May 17, live on Sky Sports Football; Kick off 7.45pm. The winner will face either Huddersfield or Luton in the play-off final at Wembley on Sunday May 29.

Nottingham Forest took a significant step towards reaching the Championship play-off final as a dominant display helped them to a 2-1 semi-final first-leg win over Sheffield United.

Jack Colback took advantage of an ill-timed slip from Ben Osborn to fire Steve Cooper’s men in front (10), before Blades captain John Egan was caught in possession by Joe Lolley, allowing Brennan Johnson to fire in an crucial, ice cold second (71).

But just as hope looked to be fading for United, they pulled one back in second-half stoppage time, as Sander Berge bundled the ball over the line, despite replays suggesting Jack Robinson handled the ball before doing the midfielder did so (90+1).

On Tuesday night at the City Ground, the teams will go to battle once more – in a game live on Sky Sports Football – for a place at Wembley on Sunday May 29.

Tuesday 17th May 7:30pm


Kick off 7:45pm

How Cooper’s Reds took a step towards Wembley

As South Yorkshire basked in temperatures of over 20 degrees, there was a party atmosphere at Bramall Lane, as the journey to Wembley began for two of the giants of the second tier.

In his programme notes, Paul Heckingbottom called upon the Blades fans to “understand how important the role they have in what we are trying to achieve is” and they responded as expected, creating a deafening cauldron of noise that clearly spurred the players on to an encouraging start.

It was nearly rewarded early on, too, when Sander Berge was bundled to the deck as he attacked a free-kick, though referee Andre Marriner quickly indicated that he would be taking no further action. But within seconds, Forest took the lead.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment, as Joe Worrall’s speculative aerial ball found Sam Surridge, who squared for Philip Zinckernagel. Ben Osborn lost his footing, the Dane had a shot saved by Wes Foderingham, but Colback was on hand to bail out his team-mate and find the net.

Sheffield United came close to drawing level when John Egan’s powerful, goalbound header was headed off the line by Surridge, but it was all Forest for the remainder of the half – they could quite fathomably have scored two or three more goals.

High-risk defending from the hosts allowed Johnson to drive into the box from halfway to sting the Blades goalkeeper’s palms, before Ryan Yates nodded wide unmarked. Foderingham then made a crucial save to deny Surridge from close-range, before clawing Johnson’s header away seconds later.

Though United were less vulnerable on the counter after the break, and their attacks became more coherent, time after time their finishing left plenty to be desired, while Brice Samba able to make numerous simple catches from crosses into the box.

And they were architects of their own downfall midway through the second half, when Egan was too slow to react to Lolley’s run, with the substitute able to get a shot away that was deflected into the path of Johnson, who finished coolly.

The hosts did, however, find a way to halve the deficit in the closing minutes, when Berge forced the ball over the line to renew Blades hopes ahead of Tuesday’s second leg.

What the managers said…

Sheffield United’s Paul Heckingbottom: “Their players are coming off gutted and ours are coming off with a chance. It’s half-time and we’ve been behind before this season and come back and won. We’ve got to recover and prepare as well as we can – that starts now.

“We went to the very end and our goal was pivotal for us. We knew they’d be coming and countering. They’ve got good players in transition and we weren’t good enough.

“In the second half we were much better. They defended their box really well and obviously when they break, their opportunities come when we’re stretched. It was an error which led to their second goal, but credit our players for fighting back.”

Nottingham Forest’s Steve Cooper: “I’m not going to walk out of here irritated that we’ve taken a lead in the first leg of the play-offs. There’s frustration of course that we’ve conceded and we should have scored more than we did, but it was a proper play-off game.

“In the second half they had more of the ball than we’d have liked, but we still looked a threat. If someone had said we’d have created that many chances in a game of that tension away from home you’d be very happy with it. We’ve got a lot of young players who haven’t experienced games like this. We’re very positive and we can’t wait for Tuesday now. Let’s go.”

Analysis: ‘Sheff Utd will be happier side after late goal’

Former Forest defender Michael Dawson on Sky Sports Football:

“Time will tell whether that goal will cost Forest. They could have been far more ahead. But at 2-0 there is always that opportunity. Sheffield United will be a lot happier now with the manner in which the game ended.

“If you’d asked them before the game they’d have snapped your hand off for a 2-1 lead. But they’ll be so disappointed with the goal they conceded.”

Former Sheff Utd midfielder Michael Brown on Sky Sports:

“That was the chance, right in the final seconds, they needed something going into the second leg. It was a disappointing performance overall but it shows how tight it can be, if you can get something at the end of it.

“Now there’s a bit more confidence on what was a real difficult afternoon for Sheffield United.”

Man of the Match – Brennan Johnson

“We’re in a good position from winning the game. We played well today and had a lot of chances. We’d have liked the advantage to have been bigger, but we’ll take any advantage going into Tuesday.”

What’s next?

The play-off semi-final second leg will take place at the City Ground on Tuesday May 17, live on Sky Sports Football; Kick off 7.45pm. The winner will face either Huddersfield or Luton in the play-off final at Wembley on Sunday May 29.

Nottingham Forest took a significant step towards reaching the Championship play-off final as a dominant display helped them to a 2-1 semi-final first-leg win over Sheffield United.

Jack Colback took advantage of an ill-timed slip from Ben Osborn to fire Steve Cooper’s men in front (10), before Blades captain John Egan was caught in possession by Joe Lolley, allowing Brennan Johnson to fire in an crucial, ice cold second (71).

But just as hope looked to be fading for United, they pulled one back in second-half stoppage time, as Sander Berge bundled the ball over the line, despite replays suggesting Jack Robinson handled the ball before doing the midfielder did so (90+1).

On Tuesday night at the City Ground, the teams will go to battle once more – in a game live on Sky Sports Football – for a place at Wembley on Sunday May 29.

Tuesday 17th May 7:30pm


Kick off 7:45pm

How Cooper’s Reds took a step towards Wembley

As South Yorkshire basked in temperatures of over 20 degrees, there was a party atmosphere at Bramall Lane, as the journey to Wembley began for two of the giants of the second tier.

In his programme notes, Paul Heckingbottom called upon the Blades fans to “understand how important the role they have in what we are trying to achieve is” and they responded as expected, creating a deafening cauldron of noise that clearly spurred the players on to an encouraging start.

It was nearly rewarded early on, too, when Sander Berge was bundled to the deck as he attacked a free-kick, though referee Andre Marriner quickly indicated that he would be taking no further action. But within seconds, Forest took the lead.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment, as Joe Worrall’s speculative aerial ball found Sam Surridge, who squared for Philip Zinckernagel. Ben Osborn lost his footing, the Dane had a shot saved by Wes Foderingham, but Colback was on hand to bail out his team-mate and find the net.

Sheffield United came close to drawing level when John Egan’s powerful, goalbound header was headed off the line by Surridge, but it was all Forest for the remainder of the half – they could quite fathomably have scored two or three more goals.

High-risk defending from the hosts allowed Johnson to drive into the box from halfway to sting the Blades goalkeeper’s palms, before Ryan Yates nodded wide unmarked. Foderingham then made a crucial save to deny Surridge from close-range, before clawing Johnson’s header away seconds later.

Though United were less vulnerable on the counter after the break, and their attacks became more coherent, time after time their finishing left plenty to be desired, while Brice Samba able to make numerous simple catches from crosses into the box.

And they were architects of their own downfall midway through the second half, when Egan was too slow to react to Lolley’s run, with the substitute able to get a shot away that was deflected into the path of Johnson, who finished coolly.

The hosts did, however, find a way to halve the deficit in the closing minutes, when Berge forced the ball over the line to renew Blades hopes ahead of Tuesday’s second leg.

What the managers said…

Sheffield United’s Paul Heckingbottom: “Their players are coming off gutted and ours are coming off with a chance. It’s half-time and we’ve been behind before this season and come back and won. We’ve got to recover and prepare as well as we can – that starts now.

“We went to the very end and our goal was pivotal for us. We knew they’d be coming and countering. They’ve got good players in transition and we weren’t good enough.

“In the second half we were much better. They defended their box really well and obviously when they break, their opportunities come when we’re stretched. It was an error which led to their second goal, but credit our players for fighting back.”

Nottingham Forest’s Steve Cooper: “I’m not going to walk out of here irritated that we’ve taken a lead in the first leg of the play-offs. There’s frustration of course that we’ve conceded and we should have scored more than we did, but it was a proper play-off game.

“In the second half they had more of the ball than we’d have liked, but we still looked a threat. If someone had said we’d have created that many chances in a game of that tension away from home you’d be very happy with it. We’ve got a lot of young players who haven’t experienced games like this. We’re very positive and we can’t wait for Tuesday now. Let’s go.”

Analysis: ‘Sheff Utd will be happier side after late goal’

Former Forest defender Michael Dawson on Sky Sports Football:

“Time will tell whether that goal will cost Forest. They could have been far more ahead. But at 2-0 there is always that opportunity. Sheffield United will be a lot happier now with the manner in which the game ended.

“If you’d asked them before the game they’d have snapped your hand off for a 2-1 lead. But they’ll be so disappointed with the goal they conceded.”

Former Sheff Utd midfielder Michael Brown on Sky Sports:

“That was the chance, right in the final seconds, they needed something going into the second leg. It was a disappointing performance overall but it shows how tight it can be, if you can get something at the end of it.

“Now there’s a bit more confidence on what was a real difficult afternoon for Sheffield United.”

Man of the Match – Brennan Johnson

“We’re in a good position from winning the game. We played well today and had a lot of chances. We’d have liked the advantage to have been bigger, but we’ll take any advantage going into Tuesday.”

What’s next?

The play-off semi-final second leg will take place at the City Ground on Tuesday May 17, live on Sky Sports Football; Kick off 7.45pm. The winner will face either Huddersfield or Luton in the play-off final at Wembley on Sunday May 29.

Nottingham Forest took a significant step towards reaching the Championship play-off final as a dominant display helped them to a 2-1 semi-final first-leg win over Sheffield United.

Jack Colback took advantage of an ill-timed slip from Ben Osborn to fire Steve Cooper’s men in front (10), before Blades captain John Egan was caught in possession by Joe Lolley, allowing Brennan Johnson to fire in an crucial, ice cold second (71).

But just as hope looked to be fading for United, they pulled one back in second-half stoppage time, as Sander Berge bundled the ball over the line, despite replays suggesting Jack Robinson handled the ball before doing the midfielder did so (90+1).

On Tuesday night at the City Ground, the teams will go to battle once more – in a game live on Sky Sports Football – for a place at Wembley on Sunday May 29.

Tuesday 17th May 7:30pm


Kick off 7:45pm

How Cooper’s Reds took a step towards Wembley

As South Yorkshire basked in temperatures of over 20 degrees, there was a party atmosphere at Bramall Lane, as the journey to Wembley began for two of the giants of the second tier.

In his programme notes, Paul Heckingbottom called upon the Blades fans to “understand how important the role they have in what we are trying to achieve is” and they responded as expected, creating a deafening cauldron of noise that clearly spurred the players on to an encouraging start.

It was nearly rewarded early on, too, when Sander Berge was bundled to the deck as he attacked a free-kick, though referee Andre Marriner quickly indicated that he would be taking no further action. But within seconds, Forest took the lead.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment, as Joe Worrall’s speculative aerial ball found Sam Surridge, who squared for Philip Zinckernagel. Ben Osborn lost his footing, the Dane had a shot saved by Wes Foderingham, but Colback was on hand to bail out his team-mate and find the net.

Sheffield United came close to drawing level when John Egan’s powerful, goalbound header was headed off the line by Surridge, but it was all Forest for the remainder of the half – they could quite fathomably have scored two or three more goals.

High-risk defending from the hosts allowed Johnson to drive into the box from halfway to sting the Blades goalkeeper’s palms, before Ryan Yates nodded wide unmarked. Foderingham then made a crucial save to deny Surridge from close-range, before clawing Johnson’s header away seconds later.

Though United were less vulnerable on the counter after the break, and their attacks became more coherent, time after time their finishing left plenty to be desired, while Brice Samba able to make numerous simple catches from crosses into the box.

And they were architects of their own downfall midway through the second half, when Egan was too slow to react to Lolley’s run, with the substitute able to get a shot away that was deflected into the path of Johnson, who finished coolly.

The hosts did, however, find a way to halve the deficit in the closing minutes, when Berge forced the ball over the line to renew Blades hopes ahead of Tuesday’s second leg.

What the managers said…

Sheffield United’s Paul Heckingbottom: “Their players are coming off gutted and ours are coming off with a chance. It’s half-time and we’ve been behind before this season and come back and won. We’ve got to recover and prepare as well as we can – that starts now.

“We went to the very end and our goal was pivotal for us. We knew they’d be coming and countering. They’ve got good players in transition and we weren’t good enough.

“In the second half we were much better. They defended their box really well and obviously when they break, their opportunities come when we’re stretched. It was an error which led to their second goal, but credit our players for fighting back.”

Nottingham Forest’s Steve Cooper: “I’m not going to walk out of here irritated that we’ve taken a lead in the first leg of the play-offs. There’s frustration of course that we’ve conceded and we should have scored more than we did, but it was a proper play-off game.

“In the second half they had more of the ball than we’d have liked, but we still looked a threat. If someone had said we’d have created that many chances in a game of that tension away from home you’d be very happy with it. We’ve got a lot of young players who haven’t experienced games like this. We’re very positive and we can’t wait for Tuesday now. Let’s go.”

Analysis: ‘Sheff Utd will be happier side after late goal’

Former Forest defender Michael Dawson on Sky Sports Football:

“Time will tell whether that goal will cost Forest. They could have been far more ahead. But at 2-0 there is always that opportunity. Sheffield United will be a lot happier now with the manner in which the game ended.

“If you’d asked them before the game they’d have snapped your hand off for a 2-1 lead. But they’ll be so disappointed with the goal they conceded.”

Former Sheff Utd midfielder Michael Brown on Sky Sports:

“That was the chance, right in the final seconds, they needed something going into the second leg. It was a disappointing performance overall but it shows how tight it can be, if you can get something at the end of it.

“Now there’s a bit more confidence on what was a real difficult afternoon for Sheffield United.”

Man of the Match – Brennan Johnson

“We’re in a good position from winning the game. We played well today and had a lot of chances. We’d have liked the advantage to have been bigger, but we’ll take any advantage going into Tuesday.”

What’s next?

The play-off semi-final second leg will take place at the City Ground on Tuesday May 17, live on Sky Sports Football; Kick off 7.45pm. The winner will face either Huddersfield or Luton in the play-off final at Wembley on Sunday May 29.

Nottingham Forest took a significant step towards reaching the Championship play-off final as a dominant display helped them to a 2-1 semi-final first-leg win over Sheffield United.

Jack Colback took advantage of an ill-timed slip from Ben Osborn to fire Steve Cooper’s men in front (10), before Blades captain John Egan was caught in possession by Joe Lolley, allowing Brennan Johnson to fire in an crucial, ice cold second (71).

But just as hope looked to be fading for United, they pulled one back in second-half stoppage time, as Sander Berge bundled the ball over the line, despite replays suggesting Jack Robinson handled the ball before doing the midfielder did so (90+1).

On Tuesday night at the City Ground, the teams will go to battle once more – in a game live on Sky Sports Football – for a place at Wembley on Sunday May 29.

Tuesday 17th May 7:30pm


Kick off 7:45pm

How Cooper’s Reds took a step towards Wembley

As South Yorkshire basked in temperatures of over 20 degrees, there was a party atmosphere at Bramall Lane, as the journey to Wembley began for two of the giants of the second tier.

In his programme notes, Paul Heckingbottom called upon the Blades fans to “understand how important the role they have in what we are trying to achieve is” and they responded as expected, creating a deafening cauldron of noise that clearly spurred the players on to an encouraging start.

It was nearly rewarded early on, too, when Sander Berge was bundled to the deck as he attacked a free-kick, though referee Andre Marriner quickly indicated that he would be taking no further action. But within seconds, Forest took the lead.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment, as Joe Worrall’s speculative aerial ball found Sam Surridge, who squared for Philip Zinckernagel. Ben Osborn lost his footing, the Dane had a shot saved by Wes Foderingham, but Colback was on hand to bail out his team-mate and find the net.

Sheffield United came close to drawing level when John Egan’s powerful, goalbound header was headed off the line by Surridge, but it was all Forest for the remainder of the half – they could quite fathomably have scored two or three more goals.

High-risk defending from the hosts allowed Johnson to drive into the box from halfway to sting the Blades goalkeeper’s palms, before Ryan Yates nodded wide unmarked. Foderingham then made a crucial save to deny Surridge from close-range, before clawing Johnson’s header away seconds later.

Though United were less vulnerable on the counter after the break, and their attacks became more coherent, time after time their finishing left plenty to be desired, while Brice Samba able to make numerous simple catches from crosses into the box.

And they were architects of their own downfall midway through the second half, when Egan was too slow to react to Lolley’s run, with the substitute able to get a shot away that was deflected into the path of Johnson, who finished coolly.

The hosts did, however, find a way to halve the deficit in the closing minutes, when Berge forced the ball over the line to renew Blades hopes ahead of Tuesday’s second leg.

What the managers said…

Sheffield United’s Paul Heckingbottom: “Their players are coming off gutted and ours are coming off with a chance. It’s half-time and we’ve been behind before this season and come back and won. We’ve got to recover and prepare as well as we can – that starts now.

“We went to the very end and our goal was pivotal for us. We knew they’d be coming and countering. They’ve got good players in transition and we weren’t good enough.

“In the second half we were much better. They defended their box really well and obviously when they break, their opportunities come when we’re stretched. It was an error which led to their second goal, but credit our players for fighting back.”

Nottingham Forest’s Steve Cooper: “I’m not going to walk out of here irritated that we’ve taken a lead in the first leg of the play-offs. There’s frustration of course that we’ve conceded and we should have scored more than we did, but it was a proper play-off game.

“In the second half they had more of the ball than we’d have liked, but we still looked a threat. If someone had said we’d have created that many chances in a game of that tension away from home you’d be very happy with it. We’ve got a lot of young players who haven’t experienced games like this. We’re very positive and we can’t wait for Tuesday now. Let’s go.”

Analysis: ‘Sheff Utd will be happier side after late goal’

Former Forest defender Michael Dawson on Sky Sports Football:

“Time will tell whether that goal will cost Forest. They could have been far more ahead. But at 2-0 there is always that opportunity. Sheffield United will be a lot happier now with the manner in which the game ended.

“If you’d asked them before the game they’d have snapped your hand off for a 2-1 lead. But they’ll be so disappointed with the goal they conceded.”

Former Sheff Utd midfielder Michael Brown on Sky Sports:

“That was the chance, right in the final seconds, they needed something going into the second leg. It was a disappointing performance overall but it shows how tight it can be, if you can get something at the end of it.

“Now there’s a bit more confidence on what was a real difficult afternoon for Sheffield United.”

Man of the Match – Brennan Johnson

“We’re in a good position from winning the game. We played well today and had a lot of chances. We’d have liked the advantage to have been bigger, but we’ll take any advantage going into Tuesday.”

What’s next?

The play-off semi-final second leg will take place at the City Ground on Tuesday May 17, live on Sky Sports Football; Kick off 7.45pm. The winner will face either Huddersfield or Luton in the play-off final at Wembley on Sunday May 29.

Nottingham Forest took a significant step towards reaching the Championship play-off final as a dominant display helped them to a 2-1 semi-final first-leg win over Sheffield United.

Jack Colback took advantage of an ill-timed slip from Ben Osborn to fire Steve Cooper’s men in front (10), before Blades captain John Egan was caught in possession by Joe Lolley, allowing Brennan Johnson to fire in an crucial, ice cold second (71).

But just as hope looked to be fading for United, they pulled one back in second-half stoppage time, as Sander Berge bundled the ball over the line, despite replays suggesting Jack Robinson handled the ball before doing the midfielder did so (90+1).

On Tuesday night at the City Ground, the teams will go to battle once more – in a game live on Sky Sports Football – for a place at Wembley on Sunday May 29.

Tuesday 17th May 7:30pm


Kick off 7:45pm

How Cooper’s Reds took a step towards Wembley

As South Yorkshire basked in temperatures of over 20 degrees, there was a party atmosphere at Bramall Lane, as the journey to Wembley began for two of the giants of the second tier.

In his programme notes, Paul Heckingbottom called upon the Blades fans to “understand how important the role they have in what we are trying to achieve is” and they responded as expected, creating a deafening cauldron of noise that clearly spurred the players on to an encouraging start.

It was nearly rewarded early on, too, when Sander Berge was bundled to the deck as he attacked a free-kick, though referee Andre Marriner quickly indicated that he would be taking no further action. But within seconds, Forest took the lead.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment, as Joe Worrall’s speculative aerial ball found Sam Surridge, who squared for Philip Zinckernagel. Ben Osborn lost his footing, the Dane had a shot saved by Wes Foderingham, but Colback was on hand to bail out his team-mate and find the net.

Sheffield United came close to drawing level when John Egan’s powerful, goalbound header was headed off the line by Surridge, but it was all Forest for the remainder of the half – they could quite fathomably have scored two or three more goals.

High-risk defending from the hosts allowed Johnson to drive into the box from halfway to sting the Blades goalkeeper’s palms, before Ryan Yates nodded wide unmarked. Foderingham then made a crucial save to deny Surridge from close-range, before clawing Johnson’s header away seconds later.

Though United were less vulnerable on the counter after the break, and their attacks became more coherent, time after time their finishing left plenty to be desired, while Brice Samba able to make numerous simple catches from crosses into the box.

And they were architects of their own downfall midway through the second half, when Egan was too slow to react to Lolley’s run, with the substitute able to get a shot away that was deflected into the path of Johnson, who finished coolly.

The hosts did, however, find a way to halve the deficit in the closing minutes, when Berge forced the ball over the line to renew Blades hopes ahead of Tuesday’s second leg.

What the managers said…

Sheffield United’s Paul Heckingbottom: “Their players are coming off gutted and ours are coming off with a chance. It’s half-time and we’ve been behind before this season and come back and won. We’ve got to recover and prepare as well as we can – that starts now.

“We went to the very end and our goal was pivotal for us. We knew they’d be coming and countering. They’ve got good players in transition and we weren’t good enough.

“In the second half we were much better. They defended their box really well and obviously when they break, their opportunities come when we’re stretched. It was an error which led to their second goal, but credit our players for fighting back.”

Nottingham Forest’s Steve Cooper: “I’m not going to walk out of here irritated that we’ve taken a lead in the first leg of the play-offs. There’s frustration of course that we’ve conceded and we should have scored more than we did, but it was a proper play-off game.

“In the second half they had more of the ball than we’d have liked, but we still looked a threat. If someone had said we’d have created that many chances in a game of that tension away from home you’d be very happy with it. We’ve got a lot of young players who haven’t experienced games like this. We’re very positive and we can’t wait for Tuesday now. Let’s go.”

Analysis: ‘Sheff Utd will be happier side after late goal’

Former Forest defender Michael Dawson on Sky Sports Football:

“Time will tell whether that goal will cost Forest. They could have been far more ahead. But at 2-0 there is always that opportunity. Sheffield United will be a lot happier now with the manner in which the game ended.

“If you’d asked them before the game they’d have snapped your hand off for a 2-1 lead. But they’ll be so disappointed with the goal they conceded.”

Former Sheff Utd midfielder Michael Brown on Sky Sports:

“That was the chance, right in the final seconds, they needed something going into the second leg. It was a disappointing performance overall but it shows how tight it can be, if you can get something at the end of it.

“Now there’s a bit more confidence on what was a real difficult afternoon for Sheffield United.”

Man of the Match – Brennan Johnson

“We’re in a good position from winning the game. We played well today and had a lot of chances. We’d have liked the advantage to have been bigger, but we’ll take any advantage going into Tuesday.”

What’s next?

The play-off semi-final second leg will take place at the City Ground on Tuesday May 17, live on Sky Sports Football; Kick off 7.45pm. The winner will face either Huddersfield or Luton in the play-off final at Wembley on Sunday May 29.

Erling Haaland scored in his final Borussia Dortmund match before his proposed move to Manchester City, with the Norwegian striker helping his current club to a 2-1 victory over Hertha Berlin on the final day of the Bundesliga season.

Haaland netted a penalty with just over 20 minutes in a match branded ‘Goodbye Day by Dortmund. His equaliser at Signal Iduna Park sparked a comeback after Ishak Belfodil’s spot-kick for Hertha threatened to ruin his farewell.

And in a nod to Dortmund’s future, England international Jude Bellingham set up fellow teenager Youssouf Moukoko to score a late winner to give Haaland the perfect send-off.

The 21-year-old striker was substituted late on to a standing ovation.

It was announced last week that Haaland will complete a move to Manchester City this summer, after City activated his £51.5m release clause. However, Sky Sports News understands that the entire move involving agent fees and sign-on bonuses will rise above £80m.

There is a release clause in his five-year contract at City which can be triggered part-way through. Sky Sports News understands it is in excess of the €150m (£127m) being reported in Germany. Manchester City are comfortable with the clause being included given the size of the fee required to trigger any sale would be a club-record sale.

Haaland started Saturday’s farewell by being applauded onto the pitch by his Dortmund team-mates for the warm-up, before bowing to the club’s Yellow Wall to thank the club’s supporters.

But when the game got going, Haaland’s final hurrah was not going to script. Dan-Axel Zagadou brought down Belfodil in the penalty area, with the Hertha man dusting himself down to put the visitors in front on 18 minutes.

Haaland had to wait for his chance and it came just after the hour mark when Raphaël Guerreiro was felled by Marvin Plattenhardt, leaving the Norwegian striker to fire home from the spot. It was the forward’s 86th goal in 89 games since joining at the start of 2020 – with Saturday’s goal his 28th of the current campaign in 29 matches.

After Moukoko’s late winner, Dortmund will end the season eight points behind champions Bayern Munich, while Hertha Berlin will face a play-off to stay in the top flight after ending the campaign in 17th.

After the game, Haaland thanked Dortmund fans for their support in his two-and-a-half years at Signal Iduna Park and spoke of his honour of playing at Signal Iduna Park.

“It has been nothing but an honour to wear this shirt,” the post read. “At @BVB I’ve spent memorable moments, met special people, not to mention a fanbase that has been always our extra man on the pitch. The Yellow Wall is truly incredible. I’ll never forget any of this! Thank you all!”

Bundesliga round-up: Lewandowski scores as Bayern draw final game

Champions Bayern Munich squandered a two-goal lead to end their season with a 2-2 draw at VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday but of more concern was confirmation that top striker Robert Lewandowski said he wanted to leave the club.

With the Pole in the starting line-up after informing the club of his wish to leave and not extend his contract that runs out next year, Bayern were in control from the start. Josip Stanisic headed them in front in the 17th minute, setting a new league record with the club’s 48th away goal in a season.

Lewandowski doubled their lead in what could have been his last game for Bayern in the 40th minute with his 35th league goal of the season as he was crowned top scorer in the Bundesliga for the fifth season in a row.

Jonas Wind pulled one back for the hosts on the stroke of half-time and Max Kruse slotted in just before the hour mark to draw them level as Bayern ran out of ideas. Bayern had secured their 10th straight league title a couple of weeks earlier.

RB Leipzig scored in added time through Willi Orban to snatch a 1-1 draw at Arminia Bielefeld and secure their Champions League berth with a fourth-place finish as their opponents were relegated.

Leipzig needed at least a point to make sure of a top-four place, but their job was made easier after Freiburg lost 2-1 at Bayer Leverkusen to fall short on the last matchday.

Janni Serra scored for Arminia in the 70th minute, but Orban headed in from a free-kick to earn his side a point. Leipzig will join champions Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and third-placed Leverkusen in the Champions League.

Union Berlin completed their sensational season with a 3-2 over VfL Bochum to finish fifth on 57 points, one behind Leipzig, and secure a spot in the Europa League.

Cologne conceded a stoppage-time goal at VfB Stuttgart to go 2-1 down but still end up in the Europa Conference League. Stuttgart’s last-gasp goal kept them up for another season, sending Hertha Berlin into a relegation playoff. Arminia remained in 17th and will join Greuther Fuerth in the second division.