Billy Sharp put Millwall to the sword as his two assists soared Chris Wilder’s Blades to victory in their 4th Round FA Cup tie at The Den.

Sharp set up both Mo Besic and Oli Norwood for two exquisite finishes from outside the area to end Millwall's FA Cup dream of reaching the quarter-finals in consecutive seasons. 

Gary Rowett made five changes to his side, granting James Brown his first start for the club since October 2016 whilst also giving berths to 18-year-old Billy Mitchell, Aiden O’Brien, and Alex Pearce. 

Millwall are comfortable hosting FA Cup fixtures down at The Den with this being the 16th time out they have been drawn at home since 2014. 

Thier exuberance showed in the opening encounters as O’Brien latched onto Jake Cooper’s diagonal ball and decided to cut back onto his right-foot instead of squaring it to an unmarked Matt Smith in the 8th minute. 

To Smith’s frustration, the Republic of Ireland international’s shot was weak and easily saved by Dean Henderson. 

After keeping the ball thereafter, it was not until the 22nd minute that Sheffield United mustered up a clear opportunity when Billy Sharp squeezed a shot underneath Bartosz Bialkowski from an acute angle but Brown was there to clear off the line. 

Those two chances were the best that the first half had to offer as both sides allowed the match to look like a friendly instead of a competitive FA Cup tie and the second half picked up where the first left off. 

With both teams punching above their weight in their respective leagues, it was no surprise that neither showed a desire to take the game by the scruff of the neck. 

It was not until a ricocheted cross from Mahoney landed on O’Brien’s footstep that the ground awoke from its slumber. His shot eventual shot was blocked by Phil Jagielka but the chance did little to relight Millwall’s fire as it was The Blade who broke the deadlock on 63 minutes. 

Sharp managed to hold off Jake Cooper before laying off Besic on the edge of the area. The Bosnian midfielder nearly turned away from goal to restart play but Sharp’s arcing run around Cooper opened up enough space for him to curl one into the top corner from 25-yards. 

Rowett hurled on Tom Bradshaw, Jon Dadi Bodvarrson and Jed Wallace in an attempt to give The Lions a fresh impetus to equalise and to his joy, his side managed to keep hold of the ball as Wallace besieged United’s box with crosses. 

However, that period of domination was short-lived as Chris Wilder’s men showed why they are currently 8th in the Premier League. 

Oli Norwood’s low drive from the edge of the area in the 84th minute sealed the victory which witnessed a handful of Millwall fans head for the exits early. 

Teams: 

Millwall: Bialkowski, Wallace, Cooper, Pearce, Brown, Ferguson, Molumby, Mitchell, Mahoney, O’Brien, Smith. 

Sheffield United: Henderson, O’Connell, Jagielka, Basham, L. Freeman, Besic, Norwood, K.Freeman, Osborn, Sharp.