It is goalless at half time between Sheffield United and Southampton in this evening's League Cup quarter-final clash at Bramall Lane, although the Blades have been pushing their Premier League opponents to the limit.
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Just three minutes into the game, the hosts came within a whisker of opening the scoring, Fraser Forster spilling a free kick into the crowd of players in front of him, but Jay McEveley's subsequent effort blasted against the crossbar.
The action then became cagey following the explosive start, as both teams struggled to get into gear. Play found itself bogged down in midfield with chances on goal few and far between.
In the 21st minute, Florent Cuvelier's free kick flew just wide of Forster's goal, while five minutes later Mark Howard fumbled a ball at the other end of the pitch, but Sadio Mane failed to hit the target in the ensuing scramble.
The Blades found their feet towards the latter stages of the first half, with Harrison Reed and Cuvelier marauding down on goal and firing shots that whizzed just wide.
By the end of the first 45 minutes, things became increasingly heated as a series of crunching challenges by both sides saw several players get booked.
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