NOTTINGHAM FOREST took a massive step towards survival as they came from behind to punish the Premier League’s whipping boys.
Brereton Diaz gave Forest a fright when he fired home a first-half penalty to rock the visitors.
But a double from Callum Hudson-Odoi and skipper Ryan Yates’ first ever Premier League goal saw Forest come from behind to win, for only the second time this season.
This was simply a must-win match for Nuno Espirito Santo‘s men who ended a productive 24 hours three points clear of Luton and five clear of Burnley with two games remaining.
But it was another miserable day for Chris Wilder‘s Blades who have now conceded 100 Premier League goals – the first team ever to do so in a 38-game season.
They only had pride to play for after last week’s 5-1 defeat at Newcastle saw them relegated with three games remaining.
But for Forest this was their banker three-pointer and one they daren’t cock-up.
Wilder’s side have now failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last 20 matches- conceding at least two goals in each of their last 10 and they came perilously close to conceding inside two minutes here.
Morgan Gibbs-White galloped through the Blades’ midfield and curled in an early cross.
Chris Wood met the ball sweetly on the volley but it flew just wide, rippling the side net.
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Some Forest fans clearly thought he had scored and their cheers were met with jeers from smirking home fans.
And there was more for them to smile about when they were awarded a penalty kick after 15 minutes.
Cameron Archer fed Ben Brereton Diaz who slipped the ball to one side of Gonzalo Montiel, and the Argentine slid in to send the Chilean international crashing.
Ref Chris Kavanagh pointed to the penalty spot and Montiel picked up a booking for moving the ball after Brereton Diaz had placed it on the spot.
It was a piece of sh**housery his World Cup-winning Argentina teammate Emi Martinez would have been proud of.
But Brereton Diaz wasn’t affected by a bit of dark arts and he calmly stroked the ball down the middle into the net, while Matz Sels leapt to his left.
It was the striker’s sixth goal of the season – a Premier League record for the Blades – and a decent effort considering he only arrived in January.
“Down with United, you’re going down with United,” Blades fans sang in one of the rare moments they have been able to taunt the opposition this season.
But it didn’t last long – 10 minutes to be precise – before Forest equalised.
Gibbs-White fed Danilo who rolled the ball into the path of Hudson-Odoi and the winger chopped inside Jayden Bogle before curling a right footer into the top corner.
It was a stunning finish, although Bogle should never have allowed him to cut back onto his stronger foot.
The full-back tried to make amends with a shot which deflected off Murillo for a corner before Gustavo Hamer rifled another attempt just wide.
Brereton Diaz almost cashed in on a slip by Danilo but his shot crashed off Murillo who was doing a fair impersonation of being a ball-magnet as he saved Forest again.
The Blades were playing with the freedom of men who no longer have anything to fear and Archer skipped by Willy Boly, only to have his shot blocked by Matz Sels.
The Belgian international then pulled off a stunning save to turn over a Hamer rocket.
Forest were reeling and Archer should have scored from three yards but somehow managed to bounce the ball off the turf and over from point-blank range.
At the other end Wood crashed a header off the crossbar as Forest finally responded.
Nuno’s men seized the lead six minutes into the second half.
Anthony Elanga’s cross was headed down by Boly and skipper Ryan Yates smashed an unstoppable volley beyond Foderingham.
Brereton Diaz furiously claimed he had been fouled by Murillo in the build-up but VAR showed any contact was minimal.
It was Yates’ first Premier League goal and he couldn’t have picked a much better time to conjure it up.
Blades tried to hit back and Hamer fired agonisingly wide of the far post before Sels got down brilliantly to turn away a Brereton Diaz effort.
But it was Forest who grabbed the all-important third goal.
Hudson-Odoi was on target again as he dribbled past Anel Ahmedhodzic and Trusty before finding the far corner of the net with a low curling shot.
Scroll down to see how the game unfolded…
