Coventry City manager Mark Robins rates the promotion prospects of 'top team' Sheffield United

The battle of two of the division's real form sides went the way of United at Bramall Lane as Paul Heckingbottom's side secured their seventh league win in eight outings to draw level on points with leaders Burnley, who welcome Birmingham City on Tuesday, following a 3-1 success.

The Sky Blues were the better side early on, only for the game to turn in the Blades' favour when the hosts broke away on 35 minutes and Iliman Ndiaye superbly set up James McAtee for the opener.

Ex-Huddersfield, Rotherham and Barnsley chief Robins said: "I think there's going to be a lot of twists and turns and anyone can beat anybody.

"It's difficult to say anybody is running away with it, I don't think that's necessarily the case this season. We will wait and see. I think they (United) have as good a chance as anybody with the players they have got back, they are a top team.

"But they were edgy and we couldn't take advantage of it.

"Their (first) goal was the turning point. Up until that point, I think we were the better team and played some really good football.

"I thought we controlled it generally, but we were playing against a top team with really good players. They were on the back foot for a lot of it (first half) and looked nervy and rightly so. We are a good team. We are better than the goal we conceded.

"We did not lock that in and they countered on us from our own corner, which doesn't usually happen. We did not get that right. The way they broke away and the quality was really quick. Saying that, we got bodies back behind the ball.

"McAtee is a really top player and I thought him and Ndiaye were the difference or were a difference in this game."

Robins's frustration extended to the sight of his side conceding what he saw as further preventable goals to Ciaran Clark and Tommy Doyle on an afternoon compounded by a penalty miss from visiting striker Viktor Gyokeres.

The Swede did manage to find the net with a late goal, but it was scant consolation to the Midlanders.

Robins added: "The second goal comes in from a set-play and again, it's poor. But you can't knock the quality of the ball - it was an outstanding ball. Gus (Hamer) is trying his best to replicate that for us. The third was a really poor goal as well as they got down the sides of us. They had the quality to see it off.

"You are playing against a top team and a team expected to go up, really. The demands are different here than they are at Coventry. We could have still got something from the game, but conceded poor goals."