Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 Sheffield United
Saturday, 29th December 2001 – 15:00
Nationwide League Division One
Venue: Molineux
Attendance: 24,138
Referee: Peter Jones (Loughborough)
| WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS | 1 (1) |
| Dean Sturridge 45 | |
| SHEFFIELD UNITED | 0 (0) |
| WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS | -V- | SHEFFIELD UNITED | ||
| Michael Oakes | 1 | Simon Tracey | ||
| Kevin Muscat | 2 | Gus Uhlenbeek | ||
| Paul Butler | 3 | Robert Page | ||
| Ludovic Pollet | 4 | Shaun Murphy | ||
| Mo Camara | 5 | Shane Nicholson | ||
| Shaun Newton | 6 | Bobby Ford | ||
| Colin Cameron | 7 | Michael Tonge | ||
| Alex Rae | 8 | Paul Devlin | RED | |
| Mark Kennedy | 9 | Patrick Suffo | ||
| Nathan Blake | 10 | Georges Santos | ||
| Dean Sturridge | 11 | Carl Asaba | ||
| Substitutes | |
| 45mins | Peter Ndlovu for Suffo |
| 77mins | Nick Montgomery for Tonge |
| 77mins | Laurent D’Jaffo for Asaba |
| 83mins | Cedric Roussel for Blake |
| Unused | ||||
| Carl Robinson | – | Wilko de Vogt | ||
| Keith Andrews | – | Keith Curle | ||
| Matt Murray | – | |||
| Managers | ||||
| Dave Jones | – | Neil Warnock | ||
Notes
Paul Devlin dismissed
Match Report
Sturridge Strike Seals Crucial Win as Ten-Man Blades Fall to Wolves
Wolves closed the gap at the top of the First Division to just one point with a hard-fought win over 10-man Sheffield United at Molineux.
The visitors, who came into the match on the back of an eight-game unbeaten run, were dealt a major blow in the 24th minute when Paul Devlin was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge. Despite the numerical advantage, Wolves initially struggled to capitalise.
The breakthrough finally came deep into first-half stoppage time when Dean Sturridge unleashed a stunning right-footed strike from nearly 25 yards to put the hosts ahead.
Wolves pushed for a second after the break, with Colin Cameron going close after a surging run into the box and Alex Rae firing a powerful low effort just wide of the far post. Although Sheffield United had their moments—Devlin had tested Michael Oakes early on and substitute Peter Ndlovu forced two saves from distance—it was the home side who dominated much of the play.
Nathan Blake headed narrowly off target from a Mark Kennedy corner, and Shaun Newton was denied by goalkeeper Tracey in a one-on-one situation. Kennedy himself then missed a golden opportunity, blazing wide from a similar angle.
The pressure continued late into the match, with substitute Cedric Roussel seeing a volley blocked by Tracey and then hacked off the line by Robert Page. Despite failing to extend their lead, Wolves held on for a vital win—only their second in seven games—and produced the perfect response to their Boxing Day collapse against Preston.
UP THE BLADES 
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