David Unsworth's penalty in first-half injury-time secured Wigan's dramatic escape from relegation but cruelly sent former club Sheffield United back down to the Championship.

The veteran defender, a free transfer from Bramall Lane in January, was only on the pitch because of injury to Ryan Taylor but when Phil Jagielka handballed the 33-year-old coolly drilled home to give his side a crucial 2-1 lead.

Paul Jewell's side had taken a 14th-minute lead through Paul Scharner's left-foot volley but Jon Stead's header eight minutes before the interval put United in pole position to survive.

However, in a relegation race full of controversy following West Ham's escape with a £5.5million fine for irregularities over the signings of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano there were a few more twists left and it was the Blades who suffered the deepest cut.

Substitute Danny Webber hit a post having beaten goalkeeper Mike Pollitt in the second half and even the dismissal of Lee McCulloch for a second bookable offence in the 73rd minute could not save Neil Warnock's side.

They finished level on points with Wigan and went down purely on the fact their goal difference was one worse than their rivals.

It sent them out of the Premiership after just one season, having been promoted after 12 years out of the top flight, and mirrored the events of the 1993-94 season when the Blades were relegated on the last day with a late defeat at Chelsea.

In the first minute Lee McCulloch, playing just behind striker Emile Heskey, won a corner but when the cross came over Heskey could only balloon it over under pressure from Matt Kilgallon.

The Wigan players appealed for a penalty for a shove on the former England man but referee Mike Dean was unimpressed.

The relentless action was befitting of a relegation decider and Wigan continued to make all the early running, with Paul Scharner's speculative volley from 20 yards in the 11th minute floating wide of Paddy Kenny's right post.

It was a warning of what was to come as the deadlock was broken in the 14th minute.

Heskey picked out Kevin Kilbane on the left and his low cross was met first-time by Scharner from the edge of the penalty area and the ball flew past Kenny and into the net.