A hymn of limbs and lungs, a game of pure vibes and pure desire, an FA Cup quarter-final epic to stand the test of time. And at its very climax: a swing of a leg, a ripple of the Bramall Lane net, and a noise that will power Sheffield United all the way to Wembley. It was Tommy Doyle’s 25-yard goal in the first minute of injury time that proved the difference against a daring but distraught Blackburn Rovers, a club who were just 10 minutes away from their blessed moment of triumph.
The bare contours of this game offer just a fraction of the story. United started brightly. Blackburn went ahead against the run of play. United equalised fortuitously. Blackburn again went ahead against the run of play. United equalised through Oli McBurnie with nine minutes remaining. But the common thread running throughout was a full-blooded commitment, a four-sided assault on the senses, Yorkshire against Lancashire, a spectacle as gripping as a good film and as loud as a war.
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