'Mood change' for play-off second leg...

Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United duke it out again tonight in the second leg of the play-off semi-final with Steve Cooper’s team holding a 2-1 lead. 

Forest could have had the tie all but finished after a dominant performance in the first leg. But their 2-0 lead was cut down in the 91st minute by Sander Berge to leave everything to play for at the City Ground tonight.

Blades boss Paul Heckingbottom was bullish after the first leg, despite a defeat at home. 

After the game, the manager said “It’s half time, there’s still loads to go… You could see the whole body language of everyone connected with Forest more so than us, we’re not going to come off the pitch happy we’ve got beat, but it certainly changed the mood amongst the fans, the mood among both camps.

©Getty / Martin Rickett - PA Images

Although Heckingbottom may well be hoping to get under the skin of their opponents, Forest manager Cooper was a more calm figure after the first leg. 

"It's a reassurance that we're on the right track,” the Forest manager said. “That we know we can create chances and score goals. We know we can play on a big stage and create chances and we back ourselves to go and play well.

"The preparations will stay the same, obviously you talk about the context of the game but we have to stick to our plan and deliver it. Even if it was 0-0 or level, it's in our hands – we've got a slight advantage with the scoreline but it's still in our hands and that's a good place to be."

Either way, it’s going to be a close encounter. When the two sides met in the Championship this season both games finished 1-1 and most of the goals came late in the game.

Could we be set for more late drama tonight? Carlos Corberán's Huddersfield Town await the winners.

One game away from Wembley...@NFFC 🆚 @SheffieldUnited #EFLPlayOffs | #StepUp pic.twitter.com/tbFS5KkO1q

— Sky Bet Championship (@SkyBetChamp) May 17, 2022