It was top versus bottom of the current performance table, based on results over the last six matches.
It was Pompey's sixth consecutive win and their sixth consecutive clean sheet.
It is The Beautiful Game: Pompey Style. It isn't great to watch - indeed one fan on Twitter (@Bileysmullet) described it as 'David Mellor ugly'! But it is effective and that is all that matters for now. It's substance over style.
The victory takes Pompey up one more place in the table to 11th position on 50 points with a Goal Difference of plus 2.
This excellent run of form has all but banished thoughts of relegation. Now thoughts turn to getting as far up the table as possible in the remaining 11 games of the season.
Pompey still have six games to play against teams in the top 10 of The Championship: Swansea City (h), Cardiff City (a), Norwich City (h), Burnley (a), Leicster City (a) and Reading (a).
The home:away ratio of these six games doesn't look great on paper (2:4). On the one hand, playing away from Fratton Park might not be a bad thing as the home fans have become 'excitedly edgy' in recent games. They know what's at stake. On the other, as everyone knows Fratton Park can be a fortress when it's full, rocking and Pompey are playing well.
The outcomes of these six games will have a huge bearing on where Pompey ultimately end up in the table.
Pompey made one change from thier mid-week victory over Scunthorpe United, Joel Ward returning to the starting line-up with Kanu dropping to the bench.
Ward had recovered from the calf injury that had kept him out of that game. Unfortunately, the prognosis for Liam Lawrence is not so good and he's expected to be out for a couple more weeks. During the first half it looked likely that Hayden Mullins would have to be withdrawn for the second game in a row, he was limping heavily for much of first period. However, he came out for the second half and played the full 90 minutes - the 'magic sponge' did the trick.
Pompey were straight in to the action and David Nugent got himself into a good scoring position only to be well tackled by a Blades' defender.
As the game settled down there were few clearcut opportunities for either side, a combination of good defending and players unable to get into clear scoring positions. For Pompey, Ward made one good cross in to the box, following a move down the right hand flank, but no Pompey player was able to get on to the end of it. Nugent found himself in a goal scoring position only to see his deliberate shot saved by Simonsen in the Blades' goal.
The breakthrough for Pompey came on 24 minutes. Sheffield United were unable to clear the ball from a corner which found its way to Hreidarsson who blasted it in to the net. His goal celebration was typically eccentric.
The visitors had the bestof the possession following the goal with a couple of good chances spurned. Ashdown in particular had to make one good save from Blades striker Richard Cresswell.
For a team that had kept five previous clean sheets elements of Pompey's defence didn't always appear to be on the same wavelength, Greg Halford and Jamie Ashdown in particular were not always as positive as they could have been leading to some confusion and opportunity for Sheffield to exploit. Thankfully they weren't able to do so.
Just before the break there was another moment of excitement involving The Ice Man. Skipper Kitson charged down the left had side of the pitch and on looking up for support in the box to aim his cross at, who should be there but the oldest outfield player on the pitch who dramatically threw himself into a running, diving header from the edge of the penalty box only to see the ball fly well wide of the goal untroubling the 'keeper. It raised the spirirts of the crowd though and sent a few messages to some of the younger members of the Pompey team!
There was one last Pompey chance - a volley from Kitson from the edge of the penalty box, which was easily saved by Simonsen in goal.
HT: Portsmouth 1-0 Sheffield United
After the break Pompey had a good early chance, Kitson's shot was spilled by Simonsen but Nugent could only slam his shot in to the side netting of the goal in front of The Fratton End. He should have hit the target.
The game descended into long periods of stalemate where the visitors had by far the better of possession but were unable to transalte it in to any decent attempts on goal, Ashdown pretty much untroubled apart from one save late on where the ball fell from a header straight to him.
One time Pompey target Nyron Nosworthy took a lot of throw-ins in an attempt to get the ball in to the danger area, fortunately he can't throw the ball in very well, looking a bit ungainly with each attempt. He's no Rory Delap...or Greg Halford for that matter.
Hogg and Mullins were working very hard in the midfield and it wasn't a surprise when Steve Cotterill decided to bring on the fresh legs and experience of Aaron Mokoena in place of Hogg in the second half. Later he also withdrew David Cotterill, who had worked hard down the right hand side, and replaced him with the all out effort and energy that is Carl Dickinson.
The Blades' best chance of the match fell to their best player on the day - Stephen Quinn - who managed to find himself clear of the defence in the penalty box only to drill his shot from the right hand side wide of the far post for a goal kick. He should have got it on target.
Pompey's only other real chance fell to Nugent who ran down on goal from the left had side after substitute Kanu, with his very first flick of the game, send him clear. It was an audatious touch from the Nigerian but Nugent's shot was svaed by Simonsen.
Despite Micky Adams sending on more strikers - including the well travelled Marcus Bent who has caused Pompey plenty of trouble in the past - Pompey were able to see the game out and secure victory.
FT: Portsmouth 1-0 Sheffield United
MOTM: the official MOTM award went to Hermann Hreidarsson and was well deserved, he scored a goal and showed boundless energy, especially in the first half. Once again Ricardo Rocha received plenty of plaudits from the Pompey fans, he also had another excellent game at the back and has been at the heart of Pompey's new found defensive resillience.
Portsmouth versus Sheffield United: Jamie Ashdown, Ritchie de Laet, Greg Halford, Ricardo Rocha, Hermann Hreidarsson, Jonathan Hogg, Hayden Mullins, David Cotterill, Joel Ward, David Nugent and Dave Kitson. Substitutes: Daryll Flahavan, Aaron Mokoena, Kanu, Tom Kilbe and Nadir Ciftci
Attendance: 15,096, a good number of fans travelled down from Yorkshire. One humerous moment in the first half occured when they went one-nil down. The away fans started singing: "Que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be, we're going to Shrewsbury, que, sera, sera."
Next up:Bristol City away on Tuesday March 8th at 7:45PM
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