Their Wembley hopes went `pop' after an abject surrender against Bryan Robson's Championship strugglers.
Supporter exuberance and refereeing negligence left the visitors' penalty area littered with blue and white balloons and the ball deflected off one to lead to the Blades' opening goal.
Referee Alan Wiley should have had the pitch cleared but even that official howler could not account for the most deflating performance in six months.
Eriksson's side, balloons not withstanding, lost their shape, their discipline, their composure and the chance to give their manager's first season a dream ending.
To be fair, the warning signs had been there for a while with experienced midfielder Didi Hamann wise enough to recently suggest the Blues had been "getting away with it".
They did not escape ignominy here as Blades fans, who came to bury their boss, instead left praising him for masterminding the shock of the round.
In what was an exciting, throwback of an FA Cup fourth round, this was the final tie to kick-off and was clearly, for those who follow Sheffield, a case of saving best until last.
There was plenty of noise off the pitch with City's near 7,000 travelling contingent - some of whom were late comers presumably caught out by the land slip on the Snake Pass - showing just how important the competition is to them while the Blades fans initially seemed more intent on voicing their disapproval of Robson than bothering about taking a second Premier League scalp.
Demands
The reason for the late Sunday afternoon kick-off was, of course, the ever-increasing, voracious demands of the various television companies who have sliced up the screening rights pie.
City are on the small screen more than "Coronation Street" these days, so much so that they may yet be granted their own category at this year's BAFTA awards.
Chief executive Alistair Mackintosh will not be complaining about the avalanche of telly fees piling up at Eastlands but there is such a thing as overkill.
Six of City's last eight matches have had kick-offs moved so they can be shown live, and three of the next four are due to be televised, too.
It is doubtful that any side in history has found themselves on the box so often in such a short space of time but whilst Sven-Goran Eriksson's side have become darlings of the televisual media, it is hard to know what the viewing pubic makes of the new Blues. They were brilliant at Newcastle, when they took on the appearance of a top Italian side, hitting the Magpies on the break with clinical efficiency.
They were more pragmatic in straining sinew and bone in the scoreless draw with Liverpool and then, quite frankly, bored the nation rigid in the FA Cup replay against West Ham.
The trip to Bramall Lane could be filed under the title comedy-horror.
Technique
Eriksson stuck to his promise to wheel out the big guns, though he did relegate Stevie Ireland to the bench and gave a start to Gelson Fernandes, presumably feeling that his side would have to withstand a midfield battle before trying to impose their greater technique.
He was correct, for the Blades showed early urgency leading to a Jon Stead header that was brilliantly saved low to his left by Joe Hart.
That was an early warning not heeded by the Premier League side who fell behind three minutes later when Lee Martin's low cross from the left hit a clutch of balloons thrown on to pitch by City fans, evaded Michael Ball's attempts to clear and was stabbed home by Luton Shelton. Elano almost fashioned a quick reply for City but his low 20-yarder hit the post and flew to safety.
But it was Sheffield who grabbed the all-important second goal as the Blues defence again fell asleep.
Firstly, they stood appealing for offside when Nedum Onuoha was playing them on, and when the same player did not win an aerial challenge and Richard Dunne stabbed the ball clear, two Blades were standing unaccompanied on the edge of the box. It was Stead who poked it home but there had to be questions about where Hamann and Fernandes were.
City huffed and puffed but were out-thought in midfield by the Gary Speed, leading to Brazilian Elano losing his head and his place in the side.
He was replaced by Daniel Sturridge who continued where had left off with City's youth team.
He scored a hat-trick in midweek and found the net with his first touch here, a delicate lob from an acute angle that threw the Blues a lifeline, but one which they failed to grasp.
What do you think? Have your say.
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... Delicate Lob ???? It was a grate strike from a young lad who showed more composure and technique in that split second than the rest of the stikers all season! Well done Daniel, the only high point of the day. Hope Sven will give you an extended run and time as he did with the other lads.
we are too predictable going forward...we are good in passing the backward to our defender but losing the ball to frequently when going forward...unable to create chances...as I said before even the best striker will find it hard to score if we are not creating chances...since when did we last score off a corner kick...the only bright spot last night was the introduction of Sturridge...c'mon Sven we need to be more fluent in our passing...
I don't know which is funnier - the writer's side-splittingly hilarious opening line or the picture of Nedum scratching his genitals.
Actually, I do.
Chris Bailey: you are a damn good writer, but either didn't see DS's goal or know SFA about football. It was neither a lob, delicate or from a particularly acute angle. Strange.
All the talk is about balloons, and the ref' not clearing them. Well I am a fan of Harts, but lets face it, he should have cleared them, it is hard to imagine what he was thinking about just letting them sit there.
I am sure that I am not the only one who saw them and thought that they were going to cause a problem.
Never mind balloons, we were rubbish. I am beginning to worry about Svens tactics. Even though we play 5 across the middle of the park, it has been a while since we commanded that area, we are slow, we pass back to Hart more than we pass to our lonely striker. With the best hit man in the world, if we cannot create the chances for him, then what hope will he have, he will get tarred with the same brush as all the other strikers for not scoring.
What has happened to the nice crisp passing game we played earlier in the season? We cannot use the excuse that all of the other clubs now counteract it, we have to be better than them if we want to progress. Sunday was no different, we allowed SU to hussle us into going backwards, and then the big boot up the field, like a Div 3 team, and it was a SU player under it every time, and we had then lost possession again.
I do not want to blame Elano for all of our failings going forward, but I cannot remember when he last had a good game for us. He does not warrent an automatic selection for his performances on field. On Sunday he was an embarrassment, like a child playing with the big boys and crying because they wouldn't let him have a kick.
Talking of Sven then, I wonder why he didn't play Nedum at RB and Corluka in the middle, in my opinion, he is a better full back and Corluka is a better CB. Strange. But I don't want to dwell on individual performances, the team effort was absolutely abysmal, and like many others today, I am not looking forward with much enthusiasm to either the Arsenal nor the Rags matches.
Whose was the comment about the blow up doll? Same old City!
Let down again, Oh so City, do players have appraisals?, hope so because the thread for the improvement plan should read., must do better with a great deal more effort!!! I do not get bonuses if I fail to perform, did the players get their appearance money? I bet they did. That will more than make up for the pocket change they lost. Cost me £65 yesterday all in all, thanks. Sven.., Once you tell them the game plan, how do you test their understanding, I assume it works in training because it damb well didn't on the pitch. Is everything alright in the camp?, seems to be a few unsettled players. Now I have been around football for a good few years and know a few players and ex players and people on the inside. It is quite often the case that teams play indifferently when things are not quite as it seems. Is everything harminous Sven? is somebody rocking the boat? why have we gone from playing great football 10 games ago to this?? Cone on City, I now its a long term plan to turn us around but christ we have gone back to where we were under Pearce on that display. Was Nedum scratching his brains before they scored or after!!!! prehaps he was trying to raise his game, he needed to like the rest. Good goal Daniel>>
Yes down in the dumps thats me ! Bananas ,Balloons,and Ted Knotts fickle rants.All sweetness ,and light in August ,September,October ,and even November .But cracks were beginning to appear,but Sven ,as usual couldnt see them ,like he couldnt with England.Players overated ,and flattering to deceive,as we continued to win by the odd goal .No goalscorer yet Bianchi sold?Tell me the logic in that.Another season without the hope of silverware ,and to endure the usual taunts .Its the same old story for City ,and fans will not flock to Eastlands for the remainder of the season .Yes it maybe CTID but the odd trophy in 32 years of failure would have been very nice ,and another season before the possibility of that.It could only happen to City!
Where are all the arrogant blues who derided Bolton after citys fortunate Carling Cup over the Trotters?
You and your Blue Moon ,you all crowed to soon.The Blades knocked us out but aginst an almost Reserve Bolton side.Talk about pompous city fans ,you got your just dessert!!!
Having seen how much we missed two youth players Johnson and Richards,perhaps Sven may wish to consider the following team who are still at city and have city in thier blood and would give everything.
Schmeichel gk Onuoha rb Richards cb Mee cb Logan lb
Etuhu rm Johnson mf Ireland mf Miller lm Sturridge cf Evens cf
This team playing 442 could be special
Don a-u-l
Baloons... on and off the pitch!!!
The keeper is thick enough to allow balloons to bounce around in his area, half the team can't handle pressure and most of the other half just aint got it anyway - like Ireland who should try his hand at ballet. Over paid, over rated, under committed. And now they're suggesting that Sturridge isn't ready yet. Get real and give the fans and the young talent a break!
True Blue New Zealand
I had really built up my hopes for the "new" City under Sven this year,but most of their last dozen or so games have provided abysmal watching and very reminiscent of the way we played under the unlamented Pearce. Lets face it,we have no strikers of premier league class and it is also a fair time since Elano showed his earlier season form. I hate to say it,but a top ten finish is now the height of our ambition,and,if we continue playing like this theres not much chance of that either.
If we fail to win at Derby,then our season is effctively over.
Despairing in Durban
I can see why Sven was looking for a winter break it nothing too do with balloons, It is to do with the fact that some of his signing,s do not have the strength to cope with the heavy going that comes with our winter weather. I honestly think that a couple of weeks in a boot-camp would sort them out as some of the players lack the Stamina needed for a long campaign.If Bianchi was right in what he said before he left the life-style of some of the players has to change, After-all we have been here before.
4-0 to the blues VASSEL hatrick