Neil Warnock's play-off crown remains firmly in place as he returned to
Nottingham to frustrate Paul Hart's Forest at the City Ground.
It is advantage Sheffield United going into the second leg of this play-off
semi-final at Bramall Lane where the Blades have won all 10 cup ties this
season.
Forest, though, should be heading to South Yorkshire with a healthy lead, only
for one of the most-feared strike partnerships in the First Division to misfire
on a day when they were most needed.
To compound matters, they will be without centre-back Michael Dawson for the
second leg - and the final at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on May 26 should they
get there - after he was shown a straight red card seven minutes from time.
Hart will be wondering just how his side were held by former County boss
Warnock, who twice guided the Magpies through the play-offs during his time at
Meadow Lane, as well as Huddersfield and Plymouth to boast a 100% record in this
competition.
Certainly, the goalless first-half scoreline did not do justice to the
high-tempo, no-holds-barred encounter witnessed by a sell-out 29,064 crowd.
Forest's flowing football was the feature as they forced United onto the
backfoot, prompting a resolute, rearguard action from the visitors.
Paddy Kenny was rarely troubled, though, as the woodwork and his team-mates
proved decisive, in particular in the sixth minute when striker Marlon Harewood
rose to meet an inswinging corner from Riccardo Scimeca.
From six yards, Harewood's header was a bullet, but the crossbar came to
Kenny's rescue as it struck the underside and bounced on the line before United
eventually managed to clear their lines.
Scimeca then caused further problems five minutes later as a whipped-in
free-kick from wide on the left had Kenny backtracking, forcing the 24-year-old
to tip the ball over from underneath the bar.
Another piercing Scimeca corner followed in the 33rd minute, with Dawson this
time on the end of the delivery, but from six yards he headed over the bar.
It was Dawson, though, who had almost gifted the Blades the lead 13 minutes
earlier when he made a hash of clearing a John Curtis free-kick from wide on the
right.
The ball fell at the feet of a Carl Asaba, but with the goal at his mercy he
was clearly caught unaware by the chance, with his resultant shot as badly
sliced as Dawson's attempted hack.
Asaba tried to make amends within seconds - but Darren Ward pushed his hooked
20-yard, right-foot shot over the bar.
Bookings followed for Phil Jagielka and John Curtis before Darren Huckerby, on
loan from Manchester City and fit again after a three-match absence with a
hamstring injury, beating Rob Page, Mark Rankine and Rob Kozluk in one surging
run - but his curler from the edge of the area was too high.
In one surging movement soon after, Forest turned defence into attack with
Matthieu Louis-Jean, Huckerby and Andy Reid combining, with the latter's low
cross picked off the toes of Harewood by Kenny.
For 10 minutes after the break Forest were irresistible.
The tone was set within 40 seconds of the restart for a defence-splitting
Huckerby pass picked out Harewood, but from a tight angle his driven left-foot
shot was across Kenny and the face of his goal.
Johnson then struck a first-time shot over the bar before teeing up Harewood
from an even closer, more acute angle than his earlier opportunity, but again
the mishit shot spared Warnock's side.
Kenny was grateful to claim a powerful Johnson header from the next attack as
the pressure continued before finally bearing fruit in the 55th minute.
A sliced Reid pass from inside his own half fell kindly into the path of
Johnson who, with time and space, ran on before slotting home his 28th of the
season underneath the advancing Kenny.
But three minutes later United were level after Louis-Jean brought down Brown,
who then stepped up to send Ward the wrong way from the spot for his 21st goal
of the campaign.
Forest remained in charge until Dawson's dismissal for a high challenge on
Steve Kabba, who had only just arrived as an 81st minute substitute for Dean
Windass.
And the hosts were indebted to a fingertip stop from Ward in the 90th minute
in denying Michael Tonge, to ensure they remain in with a fighting chance on
Thursday.
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