FA Cup Fourth-Round Replay: Fulham 0-1 Sheff Utd (AET)

Sheffield United may be threatened with relegation to League Two, but they pulled off a famous victory at Craven Cottage on Tuesday night, with a goal in the final throes of extra-time.

On a night as long as John Brayford's beard and as cold and wet as a swim in the nearby Thames, 97th-minute substitute Shaun Miller stole in for a header at the far post after a knock-down from Harry Maguire.

The late drama gives the Blades a home tie against either Preston North End or Nottingham Forest - who replay on Wednesday night.

With his side labouring at the bottom of the Premier League and seemingly bereft of confidence, Meulensteen would have dearly loved to call upon Kostas Mitroglou, Lewis Holtby, John Heitinga and William Kvist, but the deadline day signings came too late for the 1-1 draw at Bramall Lane, and as a consequence were inelgible here.

And with a further four players leaving Craven Cottage last week, Meulensteen had little option but to call in a number of his squad players.

Sheffield United manager Nigel Clough had problems of his own, after watching his side lose to Crewe Alexandra, and further increase fears of relegation from League One.

And yet while it is often true that The FA Cup can be a welcome distraction from the drudgery of a league campaign, there was little to celebrate and precious little to comment upon in a dreadful, goalless opening 90 minutes.

Over half an hour passed before the first chance - if indeed it can be called that - when Hugo Rodallega set the ball for Clint Dempsey on the edge of the area, but the American sent his shot on a trajectory that would have made NASA proud.

Shortly after the break Blades left-back Bob Harris - who last month swapped the bright lights of Blackpool for the steel city - sent a free-kick fizzing over the bar, and then tested David Stockdale in the Fulham goal.

Meulensteen made a double-change on the hour - removing Rodallega and Alex Kacaniklic in favour of Damien Duff and Ashkan Dejagah, and the pair managed to add industry on the flanks.

Duff tested Mark Howard with a fizzing deep cross from the right, sending the United keeper scrambling to parry on an increasingly greasy surface.

But that was as enterprising as it got from either side, and the two teams were inseparable as the tie entered its fourth hour, and extra-time.

Then, as the wind picked up and the rain came in like cloak off the River Thames, Brayford showed a rare turn of pace and surged forwards from right-back. 

Brayford, on loan from Cardiff City, drove past three Fulham players before firing a powerful drive across Stockdale, and the keeper saved well.

With five minutes of extra-time Patijm Kasami came close to lifting the tedium, driving with his left foot from the edge of the area, but it swerved beyond the angle of the goal.

Kasami then sent another shot to the right-hand side of Howard's goal, but it was Miller and the Blades who had the final say.

Fulham: Stockdale; Passley, Burn, Hangeland, Amorebieta; Kasami, Parker (Sidwell, 69), Tankovic, Kacaniklic (Duff, 60); Dempsey; Rodallega (Dejagah, 60). Subs: Stekelenburg, Karagounis, David, Christensen.

Bookings: Kasami, Sidwell

Goals: Miller 120

Bookings: Harris, Miller

Referee: Neil Swarbrick