Steve Kabba fired Sheffield United into their second semi-final of the season to complete a glorious double over a languid Leeds side whose ignominious campaign has come to a premature two-month end.

The FA Cup was Leeds' last hope of salvaging a semblance of pride from a wretched year which has seen the club encounter difficult times both on and off the field.

But the lack of heart and desire was alarming with so much on the line for Leeds and manager Terry Venables, and instead it was the Blades who wrote another glorious chapter in what has a been a truly remarkable season for Neil Warnock and his side.

Kabba's 78th minute winner - his seventh of the season and his third in the last three matches since his arrival from Crystal Palace in November - also preserved the home side's sensational cup record over the last few months.

Warnock's side can boast 'a perfect 10' for they have been drawn at home in all 10 Worthington - including the semi-final first leg against Liverpool - and FA Cup ties this season, and now they have won the lot.

After beating Leeds in the third round of the Worthington in early November, revenge was in the air for the Whites, but they lacked the cutting edge necessary to beat the First Division club.

Warnock confessed in his programme notes to being a Donny Osmond fan and attending a concert last weekend at which he knew all the words.

Not many people would admit to being a follower of the 1970s pop icon, but such a music 'fest' must have been far more entertaining for Warnock than watching this dire affair until Kabba struck the decisive goal.

Given the 11.30am kick-off, criticised by Warnock ahead of the game, most of the players appeared to sleepwalk through the tie until another rousing finish from the home side.

At least it overshadowed all the pre-match hype which had sadly centred on what Warnock pointedly described as "a mindless minority" as crowd trouble in a number of home matches this season had led to several sections of Bramall Lane being closed.

Most notable was the violence which marred the Worthington Cup tie with Leeds when injury-time goals from Phil Jagielka and Peter Ndlovu secured a 2-1 come from behind win.

But with the 4,400 followers from Elland Road safely segregated away from the home supporters, and with a heavy police and steward presence inside the ground, it ensured the match passed off with the calm called for by both managers.

Instead, it was on the pitch where trouble appeared as if it might flair. Inside the opening 10 minutes Michael Brown, Nick Montgomery and Kabba were all subject to crunching challenges from Mark Viduka, Seth Johnson and Ian Harte, with the latter booked.

It is a pity the football which eventually followed lacked the same passion for it was hard to imagine a place in the last four of the competition was at stake such was the sterile nature of the game.

Paul Robinson was never tested in the first half as the Blades looked anything like a team which had won all nine of their previous Worthington and FA Cup ties this season.

The swirling conditions and bumpy pitch, which had required 35 tonnes of sand this week to make it even and playable, were hardly conducive to entertaining football.

Such factors, though, cannot be offered as excuses for the glaring misses a revenge -fuelled Leeds side made in the opening 45 minutes, with the visitors having to wait until the 20th for the first of those.

Viduka, Kewell and Alan Smith - playing out on the right wing again - all combined in a passing move in and around the home side's area resulting in the latter poorly attempting to curl the ball home, instead finding the grateful arms of Paddy Kenny.

Worse followed in the 29th minute, at a time when the Blades were finally starting to impose themselves, as a Smith through ball found Kewell who first checked to see if he was onside before striding on towards goal.

The Australia international was left with Kenny to beat, but the United goalkeeper first blocked an attempted curler before Leeds' 12-goal leading scorer made a hash of the follow-up by blazing over the bar from just three yards out.

After scoring a contender for FA Cup goal of the season with his winner at Crystal Palace in the last round, Kewell's double blunder would certainly figure highly in any category for cup calamities.

It was effectively his last action of the game for Kewell was then substituted at the break after sustaining a recurrence of a back injury, leading to the return of Eirik Bakke in an attacking role after three weeks out with ankle ligament damage.

Robinson was then forced into the fray early in the second half when he tipped over the bar a crisp Kabba drive, and after Viduka and Johnson had fired shots into the arms of Kenny, Sheffield United then struck.

Michael Tonge managed to work an opening inside the Leeds area, only to see his 15-yard left-foot shot blocked inside the six-yard box by Danny Mills.

However, the ball fortuitously fell to Kabba for a first-time curler beyond Robinson into the bottom right hand corner.

Confusion then followed in the bitter closing stages, with a number of niggly challenges flying in, most notable being an elbow from Mills on Rob Kozluk.

Referee Steve Bennett gave Mills his marching orders for a second bookable offence.

However, the England international successfully argued it was 'lookalike' Johnson who had earlier been cautioned.

Leeds at least managed to finish the game with a full of complement of players, but they let the club down when it mattered most, and instead it is the Blades who will again be flying the cup flag for Yorkshire.

Teams

Sheff Utd: Kenny, Jagielka, Murphy, Page, Kozluk, Montgomery, Brown, McCall, Tonge, Allison, Kabba.

Subs Not Used: Peschisolido, Ten Heuvel, Javary, Cryan, Smith.

Booked: Kabba.

Goals: Kabba 78.

Leeds: Robinson, Mills, Radebe, Lucic, Harte (Milner 81), Smith, Seth Johnson, Okon (Barmby 81), Bravo, Viduka, Kewell (Bakke 45).

Subs Not Used: Martyn, Kilgallon.

Booked: Harte, Seth Johnson, Mills, Radebe.

Att: 24,633

Ref: S Bennett (Kent).