Match ends, Coventry City 1, Sheffield United 2.
Coventry City fans staged a pitch invasion before Sheffield United's Billy Sharp consigned the Sky Blues to a sixth straight defeat in League One.
The Sky Blues, who are 21st and on their worst run for 43 years, looked to have earned a draw when Dan Agyei equalised Sharp's first-half opener.
But there was a late twist after home fans protesting at City's owners Sisu had held up the game for six minutes.
When play resumed, Sharp hit a late winner to lift the Blades to second.
The visitors led when Sharp pounced on the loose ball from Jordan Turnbull's clearance to drill a low, angled right-foot shot into the right corner - his first goal in six games.
Andre Wright powered a volley just over for the home side as half time approached and, within six minutes of the restart, Coventry were level from Agyei's deflected left-foot shot.
The Blades' Caolan Lavery twice curled shots against the right post, either side of Marvin Sordell shooting just wide at the other end.
Then came the pitch invasion which stopped the match and forced referee David Webb to take both teams off.
After a public address system announcement pleading with fans to leave the pitch while respecting their "right to protest", the game restarted.
Shortly afterwards Sharp blasted home from close range after his first effort was saved to give Chris Wilder's side all three points.
Coventry's continued protest
It is more than two years since Coventry returned to the Ricoh Arena after a season in exile in Northampton, thinking their troubles were over. But they are now a club in crisis.
They do not own their ground, their academy has been taken over by their Ricoh landlords Wasps and they are in danger of a return to the Football League's basement for the first time since 1959.
And Coventry fans' protests against Sisu, the club's owners for the past nine years, have become increasingly hostile this season.
They co-staged a plastic 'pigs might fly' protest with Charlton fans, then held a mock funeral procession at their last home game against MK Dons.
This time, after a peaceful anti-Sisu carol singing protest outside the stadium, with witty, adapted lyrics, the mood became more ugly inside.
There was constant loud whistling from the first minute, followed by an intimidating mass procession in the direction of the pitch-side stewards, with a lone fan getting on the pitch in the first half and briefly stopping the game - all to a constant backdrop of chants of 'We Want Sisu Out'.
Coventry interim boss Mark Venus told BBC Coventry & Warwickshire:
"The pitch invasion had no bearing on the result. They had more quality but we matched them up until the last few minutes. It is 90 minutes, then we came back on and it didn't happen for us. But we have to be more street wise in both boxes.
"We worked really hard and the longer the game went on the more threat we had. But to give a late goal away says where we are at the moment. Everything seems to go against us.
"The football club needs a manager to take the team forward and we will work hard to get that person in before January. The boys have to pick themselves up, dust themselves down and keep working hard.
"Everyone could see the effort. Everyone gave it their best shot. But we didn't get over the line with a point, we got over the line with nothing."
Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder told BBC Radio Sheffield:
"That's twice that's happened to us, at Charlton, now here. It was all set up that something was going to happen. It's disrupted the game. It's poor.
"I have a bitter sweet taste in my mouth. We're talking about stuff that's off the pitch, in the stands, which is a sad day.
"We haven't played well. The opposition can count themselves unlucky not to get a result. This has been our least impressive performance in this run.
"But the heart and desire to go and win was immense. We're lucky we've got someone like Billy Sharp to get us a result."
Line-ups
Coventry
Formation 4-3-3
- 23Charles-Cook
- 30Kelly-Evans
- 2Willis
- 4TurnbullBooked at 82mins
- 15Page
- 6Rose
- 5Bigirimana
- 12McCann
- 9AgyeiSubstituted forThomasat 69'minutes
- 17SordellBooked at 90mins
- 21WrightSubstituted forLameirasat 74'minutes
Substitutes
- 8Lameiras
- 10Jones
- 11Reid
- 13Gadzhev
- 20Tudgay
- 27Thomas
- 34Addai
Sheff Utd
Formation 3-5-2
- 25Moore
- 5O'Connell
- 6Basham
- 19Ebanks-Landell
- 18Freeman
- 21DuffySubstituted forWhitemanat 89'minutes
- 15CouttsSubstituted forClarkeat 75'minutes
- 4Fleck
- 24Lafferty
- 10Sharp
- 11DoneSubstituted forLaveryat 63'minutes
Substitutes
- 3Hussey
- 9Lavery
- 12Ramsdale
- 13Wright
- 14Brown
- 23Whiteman
- 27Clarke
- Referee:
- David Webb
- Attendance:
- 8,801
Match Stats
- Possession
- Home46%
- Away54%
- Shots
- Home9
- Away17
- Shots on Target
- Home2
- Away6
- Corners
- Home4
- Away6
- Fouls
- Home8
- Away17
Live Text
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Full Time
Second Half ends, Coventry City 1, Sheffield United 2.
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Foul by Chris Basham (Sheffield United).
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Chris McCann (Coventry City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
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Booking
Marvin Sordell (Coventry City) is shown the yellow card.
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Substitution
Substitution, Sheffield United. Benjamin Whiteman replaces Mark Duffy.
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Attempt blocked. George Thomas (Coventry City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
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Goal!
Goal! Coventry City 1, Sheffield United 2. Billy Sharp (Sheffield United) left footed shot from very close range to the centre of the goal.
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Attempt saved. Billy Sharp (Sheffield United) right footed shot from very close range is saved in the centre of the goal.
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Delay over. They are ready to continue.
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Foul by Gael Bigirimana (Coventry City).
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Caolan Lavery (Sheffield United) wins a free kick on the right wing.
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Hand ball by Leon Clarke (Sheffield United).
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Attempt saved. Mark Duffy (Sheffield United) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
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Attempt blocked. Mark Duffy (Sheffield United) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
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Attempt missed. Leon Clarke (Sheffield United) header from the centre of the box misses to the right.
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Booking
Jordan Turnbull (Coventry City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
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Foul by Jordan Turnbull (Coventry City).
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Billy Sharp (Sheffield United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Attempt saved. John Fleck (Sheffield United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.