Earnshaw milestone blunts Blades

The 150th league goal of Robert Earnshaw's career was enough to get Billy Davies' promotion hopefuls back on track as Nottingham Forest overcame successive defeats with a deserved win over 10-man Sheffield United.Darius Henderson's contentious dismissal for an elbow 40 seconds into the second half compounded the misery for Kevin Blackwell's ill-disciplined side, who have seen their play-off ambitions weaken with just one win in six.However, for nearly 22,000 Forest fans, it was a welcome return to the City Ground, as the hosts forgot their away-day blues to secure an eighth home win on the bounce which keeps the pressure on West Brom and Newcastle at the top of the Coca-Cola Championship.And for Davies, the game could not have got off to a better start as the outspoken boss was rewarded for a switch in selection early on as the recalled Paul Anderson and Earnshaw combined to open the scoring after just three minutes, with Earnshaw finishing from close range.However, the 10-men gave their hosts a couple of warnings as Mark Yeates twice came close to equalising but missed the target on both occasions. Otherwise, Forest dominated the increasingly heated contest and were unlucky not to double their lead on several occasions.