EIGHTEEN months ago David Cotterill almost became a Norwich player. Instead he went on to join Wigan, who have loaned him to Sheffield United, and yesterday he teased and tortured City’s right side and did more than any other player to determine the game’s outcome.

Imbued with a new sense of purpose under Kevin Blackwell’s management, United put the Canaries under the cosh from the off. Billy Sharp ought to have dispatched Rob Hulse’s delicate down header past David Marshall with barely five minutes on the clock.

This battle between two sides who have had to downsize expectations dramatically this season was full of energy. No sooner had Hulse powered through on the right of the penalty area and cracked a drive against a post than Darren Huckerby placed a ground ball narrowly past Paddy Kenny’s upright.

When Huckerby set up Mark Pattison just before half-time, the final ball was embarrassingly overhit when a neat touch would have sufficed. Dishonours were even when, seconds later, Hulse’s header from Cotterill’s centre was inches off target.

There was more than a touch of luck attached to Sharp’s 52nd-minute goal after Cotterill’s curling centre, as it came courtesy of a rebound from Alex Pearce’s attempted clearance.

Three minutes later Matthew Kilgallon doubled the lead, heading home David Carney’s corner as City looked like a team imploding. Cureton tested out Kenny at the other end, as did Ched Evans with a stinging drive, but an organised defence kept Norwich at a distance.

Star man: David Cotterill (Sheffield Utd)

Player ratings: Sheffield Utd: Kenny 6, Geary 6, Morgan 7, Kilgallon 7, Naysmith 6, Cotterill 8, Tonge 7, Speed 6, Carney 7, Sharp 6 (Ehiogu 90min), Hulse 7 (Stead 78min)

Norwich: Marshall 5, Otsemobor 6, Shackell 6 (Doherty 68min), Pearce 5, Bertrand 5, Huckerby 6, Pattison 7, Fotheringham 6, Gibbs 5 (Croft 62min), Evans 5 (Dublin 79min), Cureton 7

Scorers: Sheffield Utd: Sharp 52, Kilgallon 56

Referee: M Oliver

Attendance: 25,536