David Unsworth's penalty in first-half injury-time secured Wigan's dramatic escape from relegation but cruelly sent former club Sheffield United back down to the Championship.

The veteran defender, a free transfer from Bramall Lane in January, was only on the pitch because of injury to Ryan Taylor but when Phil Jagielka handballed the 33-year-old coolly drilled home to give his side a crucial 2-1 lead.

Paul Jewell's side had taken a 14th-minute lead through Paul Scharner's left-foot volley but Jon Stead's header eight minutes before the interval put United in pole position to survive.

However, in a relegation race full of controversy following West Ham's escape with a £5.5million fine for irregularities over the signings of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano there were a few more twists left and it was the Blades who suffered the deepest cut.

Substitute Danny Webber hit a post having beaten goalkeeper Mike Pollitt in the second half and even the dismissal of Lee McCulloch for a second bookable offence in the 73rd minute could not save Neil Warnock's side.

They finished level on points with Wigan and went down purely on the fact their goal difference was one worse than their rivals.

It sent them out of the Premiership after just one season, having been promoted after 12 years out of the top flight, and mirrored the events of the 1993-94 season when the Blades were relegated on the last day with a late defeat at Chelsea.

In the first minute Lee McCulloch, playing just behind striker Emile Heskey, won a corner but when the cross came over Heskey could only balloon it over under pressure from Matt Kilgallon.

The Wigan players appealed for a penalty for a shove on the former England man but referee Mike Dean was unimpressed.

The relentless action was befitting of a relegation decider and Wigan continued to make all the early running, with Paul Scharner's speculative volley from 20 yards in the 11th minute floating wide of Paddy Kenny's right post.

It was a warning of what was to come as the deadlock was broken in the 14th minute.

Heskey picked out Kevin Kilbane on the left and his low cross was met first-time by Scharner from the edge of the penalty area and the ball flew past Kenny and into the net.

With West Ham at that point drawing against Manchester United the goal meant United and not Wigan occupied the final relegation place.

Scharner could have had another in the 23rd minute when Kilbane again fed Heskey, who drove into the area before crossing to the far post where the Austrian midfielder headed over.

Wigan suffered a huge blow in the 31st minute when captain Arjan De Zeeuw was forced off with what looked like a knee injury. He was replaced by Josip Skoko, which meant the dangerous Scharner had to drop back into defence.

But in the 37th minute the relegation picture changed again as United equalised - although it was not without cost to both sides.

Jagielka, playing at right-back, crossed from wide and Stead rose above the defence to head the ball past Pollitt.

The consequence of that was a sickening clash of heads between the goalkeeper and striker which resulted in both receiving lengthy treatment.

Right-back Taylor was also injured - more seriously than the rest - and he hobbled to the sidelines before being carried away on a stretcher. Unsworth came on.

The hosts could have had a penalty and a goal in the same incident in first-half injury time as McCulloch looked to have dragged Jagielka to the floor before Stead blazed wide from six yards.

Unsworth's first contribution was a late foul on Nade which earned a booking - but his second was more crucial as he drilled home the decisive penalty.

Warnock made an immediate change at the start of the second half, with Danny Webber replacing the injured Nade.

Kenny produced a superb one-handed save to deny Heskey, before Stead's flick-on put Webber clean through and he poked the ball past Pollitt - only to see it rebound back off a post.

Kilgallon had a half-chance in the 60th minute, then the impressive Scharner had to be alert to half-block a Stead shot after Michael Tonge's quickly-taken free-kick.

Chris Morgan rose highest to meet substitute Colin Kazim-Richards' corner but turned his header wide at the far post.

United were handed a glimmer of hope when the hard-working McCulloch was sent off in the 73rd minute for a second bookable offence after clattering into Tonge - having been booked for dissent in the 55th.

United laid siege to the Wigan goal in the late stages, but the closest they came was when Gillespie's right-wing cross grazed the crossbar, although Tonge admirably stayed on his feet in the penalty area when he could easily have gone down under a challenge.

Teams:

Sheff Utd Kenny, Jagielka, Morgan, Kilgallon, Geary,Gillespie, Montgomery (Davis 79), Tonge,Stephen Quinn (Kazim-Richards 56), Nade (Webber 46), Stead.

Subs Not Used: Bennett, Leigertwood.

Booked: Geary, Nade, Jagielka.

Goals: Stead 38.

Wigan Pollitt, Taylor (Unsworth 42), De Zeeuw (Skoko 31),Boyce, Baines, Valencia, Scharner, Landzaat (Folan 77),Kilbane, Heskey, McCulloch.

Subs Not Used: Filan, Camara.

Sent Off: McCulloch (74).

Booked: Unsworth, McCulloch, Scharner, Valencia, Folan.

Goals: Scharner 14, Unsworth 45 pen.

Sheff Utd are relegated

Att: 32,604

Ref: M Dean (Wirral).