Sheffield United beat Mansfield Town 3-0 at Field Mill to reach the second round of the 2026-27 Carabao Cup.
Patrick Bamford fired Sheffield Utd into a fourth-minute lead after he deflected Joe Rothwell’s third shot in past Harry Lewis, with Rothwell having initially seen two previous shots blocked in rapid succession.
Chris Wilder’s Blades eventually wrapped up their victory through a 71st-minute header from Mark McGuiness and 89th-minute finish by Callum O’Hare.
Sheffield Utd have now advanced to the second round which is scheduled for midweek of 25-27 August, and will discover their opposition when the draw is made on Monday 10 August at 7:20pm BST on Sky Sports in the UK.
Despite having only signed Matt Doherty and loaned Romelle Donovan from Brentford this summer, Sheffield Utd retained the core players of last season’s squad which proved crucial as they soaked up Mansfield’s early attacking pressure.
Sheffield Utd’s reward for their early resilience soon paid off late in the fourth minute as Rothwell saw two shots blocked from the edge of the box, before his third shot was deflected in by Bamford to put the visitors in front.
Mansfield subsequently continued to apply pressure with little notable end product aside from a shot fired over the bar by ex Sheffield Utd forward, David McGoldrick in the 17th minute.
Rothwell then missed another chance to put his name on the scoresheet as he smashed Tahith Chong’s 24th-minute cutback pass over the bar, before Chong then suffered an unspecified injury just four minutes later and had to be replaced by debutant – Donovan.
Mansfield’s best chances of the first half fell to Frazer Blake-Tracy whose two shots were saved by Michael Cooper, before Regan Hendry lashed a 45th-minute shot wide on the volley via a deflection.
Nigel Clough’s Stags continued to control the match early in the second half but continued to lack a clinical final touch as Louis Reed curled a 59th-minute free-kick over the bar.
Wilder’s Blades on the other hand continued to threaten on counter-attacks as Sydie Peck saw a 49th-minute shot deflected, before Bamford nodded over from the consequential corner-kick.
Mansfield’s wasteful finishing was eventually punished from a 71st-minute corner to the far-right back post, as McGuiness was left free to thump a header into the left corner to wrap up the Blades’ passage into the second round.
Sheffield Utd eventually consolidated their victory with a third goal in the 89th minute which began deep in their own half, as Donovan played a long direct forward cross which Ryan One nodded down for O’Hare to slot in from two yards.
Teams
Mansfield: Harry Lewis, Frazer Blake-Tracy, Deji Oshilaja, Ryan Sweeney (Hewitt 60′), Lucas Akins, Louis Reed, Regan Hendry (Thompson 60′), Stephen McLaughlin (Moriah-Welsh 74′), Jon Russell, Tyler Roberts (Oates 46′), David McGoldrick (Smith 74′)
Substitutes: Elliott Hewitt, Kyle Knoyle, George Maris, Nathan Moriah-Welsh, Rhys Oates, Liam Roberts, Michael Smith, Liam Thompson
Sheffield Utd: Michael Cooper, Femi Seriki (Doherty 84′), Japhet Tanganga, Mark McGuiness, Rhys Norrington-Davies (Burrows 46′), Tahith Chong (Donovan 40′), Sydie Peck, Joe Rothwell, Callum O’Hare, Tom Cannon, Patrick Bamford (One 70′)
Substitutes: Oliver Arblaster, Jamal Baptiste, Harrison Burrows, Tyrese Campbell, Adam Davies, Matt Doherty, Romelle Donovan, Ryan One, Jairo Riedewald
Referee – Stephen Martin
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