O'Hare adds record gloss as Blades stroll to final

This city has played host to the greatest playoff comeback of them all, but unfortunately for Bristol City, in the end, there was never really much chance of something similar to what Sheffield Wednesday achieved two years ago.

- Aaron Bower

In 2023, Peterborough United headed to Sheffield with a four-goal cushion but somehow failed to make it to Wembley. Here, the three-goal lead Sheffield United built up in the first leg never really felt threatened at any stage - and it will be the Blades who head to Wembley next weekend, not Bristol City.

History was on the side of Chris Wilder and his men here. While Wednesday produced that miraculous comeback two years ago in League One, no Championship side have ever overturned a three-goal margin in the playoffs. In truth, it was not difficult to see why these sides were separated by more than 20 points across 46 games.

Failure to secure automatic promotion was a bitter blow for Wilder and his side after accruing 90 points. No side have failed to secure promotion with that big a points-per-game tally since Hull City in 1910. But there was perhaps one crumb of comfort from Leeds and Burnley sealing United's fate with games to spare.