Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder said it had been an emotionally draining week after his side beat Cardiff 2-0 at Bramall Lane to end a run of three straight defeats.
Goals from Gustavo Hamer and Ben Brereton Diaz kept the Blades in the hunt for automatic promotion from the Sky Bet Championship, while the Bluebirds remain in deep relegation trouble.
Wilder said: “It was a nervy start for us but we came through it and Gustavo got a really important first goal for us.
“I think we dealt with Cardiff well in the second half and I’m pleased we’ve managed to kill the game off late on. It was absolutely vital we got the three points to keep the pressure on the teams above us.
“We had to take care of business from our point of view today. It’s been a really emotionally draining week for everybody: the players and the supporters.
“I have got to say I thought the supporters were outstanding in trying to raise us and give us the energy we needed. We’ll need them for the next three games and beyond if that’s the case.
“In my experience as a player, a coach or manager, I have had little periods where you lose games and sometimes the hardest thing is getting that first one over the line. We have done that today.
“We desperately needed a performance. The performance was OK but at this stage of the season the result is the main thing and it’s a big one obviously, which keeps us alive and kicking.
“We had to win today and we have. It’s kept us in the running ahead of a massive game at Turf Moor on Monday night.”
Cardiff manager Omer Riza said he is confident his side can get something from their next game if they play like they did against the Blades.
Riza said: “We were unlucky today. I thought there were moments in the game when we looked good going forward and we played quite well.
“Sheffield United are a very strong team and I thought we contained them well at times with our structure and they didn’t cause us loads of issues.
“We always knew it was going to be a tough game out of possession and I thought we managed it quite well. In the second half we tried to take the game to them and we had a lot of the ball.
“We probably didn’t quite cause them enough problems going forward. Our moments needed to be cleaner and more decisive.
“United’s first goal took the momentum away when we still felt we could try to get something from the game and then the second goal comes from a little error and the game is done.
“If you look at the performance today, we’ve come away to a team who are fighting for promotion and there’s not much in the game.
“We tried to create and score but we couldn’t quite do it. If we approach the Oxford game just as we approached the game today I feel we can get something out of it.
“We know how big the game on Monday is. We need the fans behind us because we can take some real moments of confidence from today to try and get the points.”
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