Sheffield United’s run without a victory stretched to eight games and they sustained two further additions to a debilitating injury list, yet they could still to reflect on their good fortune after a stirring South Yorkshire derby that was not for the squeamish.

Kevin Blackwell has regularly bemoaned the absence of lady luck this season, but the manager may have to reappraise that view in light of the first of his side’s two penalties, both of which were confidently dispatched by Darius Henderson.

There was little doubt about the second, eight minutes from time, when Darren Moore felled Kyle Walker. However, the first, on the hour, as Ched Evans went to ground rather too easily in a tussle with Luke Steele, the goalkeeper, and Rob Kozluk, the former United defender, was far from clear-cut.

While Blackwell fell back on the Arsène Wenger defence of having not had a clear view of either pivotal incident, his counterpart, Mark Robins, was more forthright in his assessment of the decision by Mark Clattenburg, the referee, who was a late replacement for Lee Mason. “They’ve been given the penalties,” the Barnsley manager said. “The referee was a bit quick with the whistle.”

The visiting side’s fortune was offset by the loss during the first half of Matthew Kilgallon, the defender, to an ankle problem, while Ian Bennett, their goalkeeper, failed to reappear after the interval, having broken a thumb.

“I’m proud of the lads for the way they performed in what’s been an unprecedented situation in terms of injuries,” Blackwell said.

Barnsley were twice in the ascendancy but on each occasion for only a matter of minutes. Anderson de Silva’s stunning 18-yard effort past Mark Bunn put the home side in front shortly after the interval and Daniel Bogdanovic applied a far-post finish to Jon Macken’s 76th-minute cross.

The contest was played out amid an atmosphere verging on the poisonous after home supporters unfurled a banner that read “Chris Morgan: coward” to highlight the bad feeling that lingers over the former Barnsley defender’s infamous challenge 12 months ago that left Iain Hume with a fractured skull.

With both goalkeepers employed on a regular basis, the near hour-long stalemate had come as something of a surprise. In addition to the four goals, Keith Treacy struck a post for the visiting team, while Macken spurned two presentable openings. “We could have thrown the towel in,” Blackwell said. “But we hung in there.”

Barnsley (4-4-2): L Steele — R Kozluk, R Shotton, D Moore, C Dickinson — Anderson de Silva, H Colace, N Doyle, A Hammill — J Macken (sub: I Hume, 75min), D Bogdanovic (sub: A Gray, 76). Substitutes not used: D Preece, J Campbell-Ryce, B Hassell, E Hallfredsson, O Thompson. Booked: Shotton, Walker.

Sheffield United (4-4-2); I Bennett (sub: M Bunn, 46) — K Walker, J Fortune, A Davies, M Kilgallon (sub: D Geary, 45) — J Ward, S Quinn, J Harper, K Treacy (sub: H Camara, 79) — C Evans, D Henderson. Substitutes not used: R France, D Cotterill, L Williamson, G Little. Booked: Henderson.

Referee: M Clattenburg

Attendance: 12,998