Mansfield Town 0-3 Sheffield United: Blades Slice Through Stags And Advance to Next Round | OneFootball

Sheffield United completely dominated Mansfield Town and cruised to a 3-0 win in the first round of the EFL Cup at the One Call Stadium.

The Blades got the scoring underway early when Patrick Bamford reacted quickly to steer a Joe Rothwell shot into the opposite corner from close range. Mark McGuinness made it 2-0 with a powerful header from a corner in the second half before substitute Romelle Donovan and Ryan Oné did well to eventually create the third goal for Callum O’Hare.

Lineups

Mansfield: Lewis, McLaughlin (Moriah-Welsh 74), Sweeney (Hewitt 60), Akins, Russell, McGoldrick (Smith 74), T. Roberts (Oates 45), Blake-Tracy, Oshilaja, Hendry (Thompson 60), Reed.

Unused: L. Roberts, Knoyle, Maris, Taylor.

Blades: Cooper, Tanganga, Rothwell (Arblaster 70), Cannon, O’Hare, Chong (Donovan 29), McGuinness, Norrington-Davies (Burrows 45), Seriki (Doherty 84), Peck, Bamford (Oné 70).

Unused: Davies, Campbell, Baptiste, Riedewald.

First Half

The Blades wasted little time in making their superiority count, taking the lead inside the opening four minutes. A poor clearance from the Mansfield defence created an opportunity for United, with Joe Rothwell seeing his first two attempts blocked before his third effort found its way into the back of the net via Patrick Bamford. The home side immediately appealed for an offside decision, but their protests were dismissed and Sheffield United had the early advantage.

United continued to control proceedings and came close to doubling their lead midway through the opening half. Tahith Chong worked his way into a promising position on the right before reaching the byline and cutting the ball back towards Rothwell. The midfielder had a golden opportunity from close range but was unable to find the target.

Mansfield threatened sporadically and Michael Cooper was called into action soon afterwards, getting across to deal with Blake-Tracy’s effort. The United goalkeeper then produced an even more impressive intervention before the interval, keeping out another attempt from Blake-Tracy after the Blades failed to properly deal with a corner.

Second Half

Chris Wilder made a change at the interval, with Harrison Burrows introduced for Rhys Norrington-Davies at left-back.

The second half began with United continuing to press for a second, as Sydie Peck saw his effort take a deflection and fly behind for a corner.

The Blades eventually got the reward their pressure deserved with 20 minutes remaining. Peck delivered an inviting corner into the Mansfield penalty area and Mark McGuinness rose above the competition to power a header beyond the goalkeeper and put United firmly in control.

With a two-goal cushion established, Sheffield United began to find increasing amounts of space and played with greater confidence. Tom Cannon was presented with an opportunity to add a third, only to be denied by an excellent save from Lewis as Mansfield attempted to stay within touching distance.

There was, however, no denying United in the closing stages. The Blades broke forward at speed down the right flank, with substitutes Romelle Donovan and Ryan Oné combining brilliantly to create the opening. Their work culminated in a simple chance for Callum O’Hare, who made no mistake from close range to complete the scoring.

The Blades advance into the next round of the league cup as their sights are set firmly on hosting Birmingham City next Saturday afternoon.