Obdurate Rotherham United the obstacle Sheffield United cannot get past on road to Premier League

Shrugging off Rotherham United is a much harder prospect for them.

Since the Millers won 1-0 at Bramall Lane on November 8, only Queens Park Rangers and Wrexham have been able to stop the Blades winning.

You would not have to go far to watch a more beautiful game than this latest encounter between the neighbours but it was everything a South Yorkshire derby ought to be.

The 0-0 scoreline was no reflection on the entertainment value, just how hard the two sides made it for another.

For the promotion-chasing Blades it was a character test passed, if not with flying colours. For the Millers it was vindication that January has put them on the right track.

It said more about them than their visitors that 62 per cent of the ball only translated into two shots on target by the away side.

The game was full of different players were certain players came to the fore – more in black than red – only to be snuffed out as the teams and their tacticians on the bench worked out the problems the opposition caused.

Sheffield United were the better side overall but then they ought to be - even if you did not work it out from the league table, their squad is packed with Premier League quality, the bumpy moments smoothed by a parachute payment over their heads.

But Rotherham were as dogged and determined as you take for granted that they will be, and the point they took was fitting reward.

There were few surprises in the first half, Rotherham dangerous early on with Jordan Hugill winning plenty of flick-ons but Sheffield United took a grip of the game without every really breaking the Millers down.

The wall in front of Viktor Johansson left him with only one save to make, with Lee Peltier particularly sturdy, and as half-time approached the hosts sent a few warning shots about how dangerous they could be on the counter-attack.

Rotherham largely played to their strength, ie their strength, but in amongst the long-balls, long throw-ins and flick-ons there was space for the odd moment of subtlety, such as the fifth-minute moment when debutant Conor Coventry played a restrained pass into the feet of Tarique Fosu, on his second appearance, only for the winger to run into Anel Ahmedhodzic.

Their next attack was more typical, Hugill's header picking out Chiedozie Ogbene's run, only for Wes Foderingham to rush off his line to save.

When captain-for-the-day – maybe the long term with Richard Wood not in the squad – Ollie Rathbone played another Hugill flick-on to Ogbene, the Blades will have been relieved to see the offside flag raised.

It took about a quarter of an hour for the visitors to get a foothold but they threatened more than they delivered.

Oli McBurnie's footwork from a pocket of pace in the 16th minute was as exquisite as his chest pass shortly after but Johansson held the deflected cross when the ball was played out to Jayden Bogle and Iliman Ndiaye's run was blocked.

Johnasson saved from Sander Berge – serenaded early on by the way end – and McBurnie had a run blocked by Peltier.

Just as the football was starting to become one-way, Hakeem Odoffin popped up in far too much space for force a stretching save from Fosu's shrewd chipped cross, then had a shot blocked after a nice Rathbone turn and good footwork by Fosu.

Ndiaye was more prominent in the second half when he dropped off the front, a teriffic reverse ball releasing Berge five minutes in, only for his drilled cross to pass all the way through without the boot it craved.

When Ndiaye dropped deep to spread the play a few minutes later, Bogle's cross deserved better than Ahmedhodzic's header over.

The Blades were starting to find more quality passes – even more so once James McAtee came on – but still no route through. Cameron Humphreys cut out Max Lowe's cross after more good build-up play.

With Ahmedhodzic booked for pulling Fosu's shirt, there was always the danger he could be lured into the Blades' second red card of a week, drawn into a running battle with the wily Hugill and unwisely shoving him in the back as they waited for a throw-in. It was never a second yellow card offence – referee Graham Scott thought the same – but just a warning that he needed to cool down and it made Hugill's substitution shortly afterwards even more of a relief.

Bailey Wright came on for his debut at the same time, only to go off apparently concussed before touching the ball.

Bogle shot over when picked out by Berge, whose outstanding pass to Billy Sharp came to nothing when Humphreys tracked the run and blocked the shot. McAtee picked out Berge only for Wes Harding to jump in, and nearly found Sharp.

Johansson held Sharp's shot from a tight angle when Ndiaye picked him out and a Bogle shot rippled the side-netting in stoppage time.

There was no shortage of nearly moments for the Blades, but it would take more than that to move obdurate Rotherham out of the way.

Rotherham United: Johansson; Peltier, Hall (Wright 69 (Harding 73)), Humphreys, Hjelde; Odoffin, Rathbone, Coventry; Ogbene, Hugill (Washington 69), Fosu (Ferguson 83).

Unused substitutes: Vickers, Bramall, Lindsay.

Sheffield United: Foderingham; Ahmedhodzic, Egan, Robinson; Bogle, Berge, Norwood, Osborn (McAtee 74), Lowe; Ndiaye, McBurnie (Sharp 74).

Unused substitutes: Davies, Basham, Coulibaly, Clark, Marsh.

Referee: G Scott (Oxfordshire).