Sheffield United made full use of an early lead and a numerical advantage to ease past 10-man Birmingham City 3-0 at Bramall Lane, moving further clear of the Championship relegation zone and extending their recent resurgence. Tyler Bindon, Gustavo Hamer and Patrick Bamford all found the net as the Blades produced a controlled, incisive display that rarely allowed the visitors a way back into the game.
Birmingham, already wobbling after three games without a win, were reduced to 10 men inside 18 minutes when former Blades loanee Tommy Doyle was sent off for a rash challenge on Hamer. From that point on, Chris Davies' side were largely chasing shadows, mustering just one shot on target in what became a comprehensive away defeat.
For United, this was a powerful response to their poor 2-0 loss at West Brom the previous week and a fifth victory in seven league matches. They were sharper in both boxes, far more ruthless in punishing mistakes, and showed the kind of authority that has lifted them six points clear of the relegation zone and to within nine points of the top six, while Birmingham slipped to 14th and further into a worrying run of form.
Early Set-Piece Strike Puts Blades in Control