Blades earn last-gasp draw with nine-man Blackpool

Oliver Norwood grabbed a 98th-minute equaliser as Sheffield United drew with Blackpool in a six-goal thriller with four red cards and a late missed penalty.

James McAtee and Iliman Ndiaye put the Blades 2-0 up, but Yates scored twice to level before Kenny Dougall put Blackpool 3-2 ahead.

In a frantic finish, Marvin Ekpiteta and Dominic Thompson were sent off for the visitors before United’s Rhian Brewster missed a penalty.

Blackpool’s Shayne Lavery and Blades goalkeeper Wes Foderingham were red-carded following an altercation after the final whistle, with the hosts being knocked off top by Burnley, who thrashed Swansea.

Teenage midfielder McAtee – on loan from Manchester City – opened the scoring with his first senior goal, bursting through as Billy Sharp nodded Tommy Doyle’s cross into his path and stabbing the ball over the line.

Blackpool threatened a response, with former Blades striker Gary Madine and Yates both going close, only for the home side to double their lead soon afterwards.

Doyle was involved again, setting up Norwood to deliver a cross that Chris Maxwell could only parry to Ndiaye, who nodded in from close range.

However, Blackpool struck back on the half-hour when United’s defence half-cleared a corner and Callum Connolly’s shrewd ball to the back post picked out Yates, who sent his header sailing over Foderingham.

The striker then made it 2-2 just before the interval, connecting with Lavery’s pinpoint cross to steer home his second.

Dougall edged Blackpool ahead five minutes into the second period, capitalising on Charlie Patino’s deflected through ball to slot home his first of the season.

The game reached boiling point in the final 15 minutes as Ekpiteta and Thompson both picked up their second yellow cards in quick succession, leaving United with a two-man advantage.

They should have made that count when Yates was adjudged to have given away a penalty with two minutes remaining, but Brewster thundered his kick against the post.

Maxwell pulled off a string of saves and it looked as though Blackpool had survived the Blades barrage until Norwood pounced on a half-cleared Doyle corner to volley the equaliser in the eighth minute of added time.