Blunt Blades back in the Championship

Last updated : 13 May 2007 By Tony Scholes
David Unsworth - his penalty kept Wigan in the Premiership and condemned his former club Sheffield United to relegation
Sheffield United were the favourites to stay up ahead of this afternoon's games but Wigan twice took the lead at Bramall Lane before spending virtually the entire second half keeping out the Sheffield United attack which, despite Neil Warnock's collection of strikers, lacked the sort of quality required to break them down.

That second Wigan goal, a penalty from David Unsworth who left Sheffield United for Wigan only in January, was enough to see Wigan and their whinging chairman survive, but for the Blades it meant relegation with the news from Old Trafford that a Carlos Tevez goal had given West Ham all three points and safety.

It just had to be Tevez who got the goal, one of the two players whose signings have seen West Ham fined £5.5 million but survive a points deduction which would have surely seen them come down instead of the Blades.

So for Warnock and Sheffield United it is back to the Championship after just one season at the top, only Reading of last season's promoted clubs have survived with Watford also heading back.