Rak-Sakyi winner moves Blades up to second
Sheffield United moved back into the EFL Championship's automatic promotion places after edging past lowly Portsmouth 2-1 at Bramall Lane.
With leader Leeds United and third-place in FA Cup action, the Blades took advantage as a fifth win in six league outings moved it on to 64 points, two adrift of the summit.
Chris Wilder's side broke the deadlock in the 24th minute when Ben Brereton Diaz slipped Gustavo Hamer in down the left, before he cut inside and curled past Nicolas Schmid.
But Portsmouth deservedly equalised just three minutes later when Connor Ogilvie slid in to turn the ball home after good work from midfielder Josh Murphy.
The visitors continued to threaten, with Murphy twice testing Blades goalkeeper Michael Cooper, before Callum Lang and Colby Bishop fired wide of the mark soon after.
Those misses proved costly for Pompey as substitute Jesurun Rak-Sakyi popped up with the winner in the 73rd minute, after being picked out in the box by Rhian Brewster.
John Mousinho's side remains two points clear of the relegation zone, with a huge game against fellow struggler Cardiff City up next at Fratton Park next week.
Elsewhere, Sheffield Wednesday was beaten late on by 10-man West Bromwich Albion in a feisty encounter at the Hawthorns.
In a dull opening period, debutant Adam Armstrong, who signed on loan from Southampton on deadline day, acrobatically turned home Tom Fellows's cross.
But a grandstand finale at the Hawthorns soon ensued, as Callum Paterson thought he had rescued Wednesday a point when he fired the ball home, after seeing his initial effort cleared off the line in the third minute of stoppage-time.
However, just two minutes later, Jayson Molumby flicked in Mikey Johnston's corner at James Beadle's near post to move them above Blackburn Rovers and into fifth place.
Tempers flared after the final whistle, with West Brom defender Kyle Bartley shown a red card for violent conduct after appearing to push Svante Ingelsson in the face.
At the opposite end of the table, managerless Derby County snatched a point in second-half stoppage-time to draw 1-1 with promotion-chasing Norwich City at Carrow Road.
The Rams parted company with Paul Warne earlier this week after a poor run of results that left them two points adrift of safety, ahead of their clash with the Canaries.
Josh Sargent's fine finish rounded off a sweeping counter-attack in the 68th minute to put Norwich ahead, and Derby on the brink of a ninth straight defeat in all competitions.
But with the game entering the final knockings, Jack Stacey felled Marcus Harness inside the box, with Rams substitute Jerry Yates tucking home the spot-kick.
The draw leaves Norwich in eighth and two points adrift of the play-off places, while Derby stays 22nd, but now just a point behind 21st-place Hull City.
