Former Plymouth Argyle goalkeeper Michael Cooper is 90 minutes away from his first Wembley appearance after Sheffield United took a stranglehold of their Championship play-off semi-final against Bristol City in the first leg at Ashton Gate.

After just missing out on automatic promotion behind the top two of champions Leeds United and runners-up Burnley, Chris Wilder’s Blades were paired against Liam Manning’s Bristol City, who finished the regular season in sixth spot.

United were 3-0 winners in the first leg, with the opening goal a penalty from Harrison Burrows on the stroke of half-time after City defender Rob Dickie was sent-off for a foul on Kieffer Moore which denied a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Substitutes Andre Brooks and Callum O’Hare then scored for the Blades in the second half, putting them in complete command going into the second leg at Bramall Lane on Monday night.

Cooper had to deal with only one shot on target as City struggled to make any impact on the United defence even before the dismissal of Dickie. The other play-off semi-final first leg will take place this evening with Coventry City hosting Sunderland at the CBS Arena.

If, as expected, the Blades reach Wembley it will be the chance for 25-year-old Cooper to play at Wembley. He missed out on the opportunity to do so for Argyle at the Papa Johns Trophy final against Bolton Wanderers in April 2022 after he had suffered a season-ending ACL knee ligament injury.

Argyle stand to gain financially if United win the play-offs. Cooper completed a transfer to the South Yorkshire club last August for an initial £2 million fee, which could rise up to a maximum of £4m with add-ons, including a sizeable payment if they are promoted to the Premier League.

Cooper made 43 Championship starts this season and played twice against Argyle, first in a 2-0 win for his current club at Bramall Lane in December and then in a 2-1 defeat at Home Park last month.

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