Sheffield United flick the switch to punish dozing Barnsley FC and claim 2-0 win
Derbies have a habit of pumping the blood that bit faster but at Bramall Lane it was the flatness early kick-offs often induce which won out.
It even took until the 58th minute for a booking, Kyron Gordon fouling Domingos Quina. There would only be one more, for Callum Brittain, all afternoon.
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Hide AdThe gentler tempo was suiting the Reds better than the hosts but when Sheffield United finally applied a bit of urgency, Oliver Norwood taking a quick free-kick and Conor Hourihane crossing, Barnsley were dozing, Gordon could have tapped in but Sander Berge outmuscled him for his third goal in four games.
From that 55th minute goal, and only from then, the home side controlled the game as you might have expected them to from the start. Like the opener, then second assist also came from a former Barnsley player, Oli McBurnie picking out Morgan Gibbs-White to put the result beyond doubt.
At 0-0, the Reds had looked the more likely.
Amine Bassi was dropping deep from the hole of their 4-2-3-1 and straighter 25 to 30-yard passes were causing the home defence problems.
Having said that, Bassi was wide in the sixth minute when he put in the cross Carlton Morris, crucially passed fit after a tight calf, glanced wide.
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Hide AdClaudio Gomes showed good intent when he drove forward from midfield but his shot was wide and weak, fitting for the football served up so far.
Foderingham made the first save of note but it was a really good one, a corner played back to Quina, who played another straightish ball in for Michal Helik to head across goal. Matt Wolfe's volley forced an excellent low stop.
The game was nearing its half-hour point before anything of note at the Barnsley end, despite the hosts seeing plenty of the ball at that stage. Centre-back Jack Robinson fired just wide as he shot across goal.
A minute later Hourihane, brought in to a three-man midfield against his old club, charged Brad Collins down but the ricochet bounced wide. Gibbs-White headed at Collins from Oliver Norwood's free-kick,
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Hide AdBen Osborn cut inside from the right onto a Berge pass but curled his shot wide.
Generally, though, it was the Reds making the running, Wolfe at the door again when he shot wide from a tight angle after being played in by Bassi.
The Blades were sent out much earlier for the second half but not shocked into life. Quina had a shot deflected wide.
Then, against the run of play, Norwood's quick thinking sparked them into life and the game changed.
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Hide AdFrom there the hosts, and particularly Gibbs-White, took control. The playmaker picked out Osborn who might have hit his shot first time but took a touch and fired wide.
Collins did well to tip a Gibbs-White header over when Rhys Norrington-Davies crossed for him, the Blades finally going at their visitors with both barrels.
Daniel Jebbison was the substitute called for when Billy Sharp went off injured - always a worry for his team - but McBurnie came on six minutes later and even with the ball stuck under his feet, he played a good pass into Gibbs-White, who took the ball very wide of Collins but kept his feet and his composure to settle the game.
Jebbison and Norrington-Davies would shout wide in the final minutes, and Morris headed over at the other end but the game had been settled.
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Hide AdSheffield United will need to re-energise during the international break, Barnsley go into it with the momentum of recent matches dropped.
Sheffield United: Foderingham; Gordon, Egan, Robinson; Osborn, Hourihane, Norwood, Berge (McBurnie 71), Norrington-Davies; Gibbs-White (Fleck 83); Sharp (Jebbison 65).
Unused substitutes: A Davies, Stevens, Ndiaye, Lopata.
Barnsley: Collins; Brittain, Helik, Andersen, Vita; Wolfe (Iseka 75), Gomes (Cole 90); Styles (Palmer 75), Bassi, Quina; Morris .
Unused substitutes: Walton, Kitching, Oduor, Halme.
Referee: S Martin (Staffordshire).
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