Southampton 1-0 Sheffield United
Saturday, 6th January 2001
FA Cup – Round 3
Venue: The Dell
Attendance: 14,158
Referee: David Elleray
| SOUTHAMPTON | 1 (0) |
| Jason Dodd 72 | |
| SHEFFIELD UNITED | 0 (0) |
| SOUTHAMPTON | -V- | SHEFFIELD UNITED | ||
| Paul Jones | 1 | Simon Tracey | ||
| Jason Dodd | 2 | Robert Kozluk | ||
| Claus Lundekvam | 3 | Shaun Murphy | ||
| Taher El Khalej | B | 4 | Paul Devlin | |
| Wayne Bridge | 5 | Gus Uhlenbeek | B | |
| Jo Tessem | 6 | Lee Sandford | ||
| Matt Oakley | 7 | David Kelly | ||
| Trond-Egil Soltvedt | 8 | Nick Montgomery | B | |
| Kevin Davies | 9 | Bobby Ford | RED | |
| Marian Pahars | 10 | Georges Santos | ||
| James Beattie | 11 | Curtis Woodhouse | ||
| Substitutes | |
| 34mins | Mark Draper for Oakley |
| 70mins | Hassan Kachloul for Soltvedt |
| 76mins | Laurent D’Jaffo for Kelly |
| 77mins | Dean Richards for El Khalej |
| 84mins | Patrick Suffo for Devlin |
| Unused | ||||
| Neil Moss | – | Keith Curle | ||
| Chris Marsden | – | Phil Jagielka | ||
| – | James Thomas | |||
| Managers | ||||
| Glenn Hoddle | – | Neil Warnock | ||
Notes
Bobby Ford dismissed
Match Report
United Exit FA Cup After Narrow Defeat at The Dell
Sheffield United bowed out of the FA Cup at the third round stage following a narrow 1–0 defeat to Southampton, decided by a single goal from the penalty spot at The Dell.
The Blades produced a disciplined defensive display to frustrate their Premiership opponents for much of a dour contest, but Jason Dodd finally broke the deadlock in the 72nd minute. The decisive moment came when goalkeeper Simon Tracey brought down James Beattie inside the area, and Dodd emphatically converted the resulting penalty.
Moments later, any hopes of a United fightback were severely hampered when Bobby Ford was shown a straight red card by referee David Elleray for dissent. Despite manager Neil Warnock responding with three swift substitutions to inject energy and attacking intent, the numerical disadvantage left United with too much to do.
United had already been forced into changes before kick-off, with influential midfielder Michael Brown suspended. James Thomas was relegated to the bench, while Montgomery and Uhlenbeek came into the side. Uhlenbeek slotted into the left side of defence, and Devlin partnered Kelly up front.
It was Tracey who was first called into action, beating Beattie to a loose ball after the striker had inadvertently deflected a long-range effort from Dodd into his own path. At the other end, Paul Jones had to react sharply to deny Devlin twice after a slack back-pass from Lundekvam nearly gifted the Blades a chance.
The visitors began brightly with an aggressive approach, but Southampton soon gained a foothold and almost struck in the eighth minute. Beattie’s clever layoff from Dodd’s pass set up Tessem, whose close-range shot was brilliantly tipped onto the post by Tracey.
Tessem continued to find space down the right flank, with Uhlenbeek tasked with marking the dangerous Marian Pahars. Beattie remained a constant threat and caused another scare when he surged past Sandford and collided with Tracey in the box, though the referee waved away penalty appeals.
United’s defence, marshalled superbly by Murphy, was frequently tested as they struggled to retain possession under pressure. The home side nearly capitalised again when Beattie latched onto a hopeful ball and fired against the post from a tight angle. Montgomery received a booking just before the interval for a foul on Pahars.
Southampton resumed with purpose after the break, with Pahars and Davies continuing to interchange positions in a bid to unlock United’s backline. The Blades remained resolute and edged closer to earning a replay, hoping for a rare break to reward their forwards.
Tracey kept United in the tie with another key save from a Pahars run and shot, and Santos was on hand to clear the danger after a spilled free-kick. At the other end, Devlin managed to test Jones with a well-struck free-kick over the wall—United’s best attempt of the match.
However, their resistance finally broke with just under 20 minutes to play. Dodd unleashed a fierce 25-yard drive that Tracey failed to hold. As he scrambled to recover, he clattered into Beattie, and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Dodd stepped up and rifled the penalty into the top corner.
The situation worsened for United seconds later when Ford was dismissed for comments made in protest of the goal. Warnock immediately rang the changes, introducing three attacking substitutes in a desperate attempt to salvage something. He later revealed Devlin had been withdrawn to avoid a possible booking as tempers flared.
Despite their late push, the ten-man Blades could not find a way through, and Southampton professionally saw out the closing stages to book their place in the fourth round.
UP THE BLADES 
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