John Egan’s last-ditch goal salvaged a point for second-placed Sheffield United at a spirited Queens Park Rangers.

The impressive Chair had another good chance soon after, while Billy Sharp twice came close for the Blades either side of half-time.

The visitors began to increase the pressure as the second half went on and they were rewarded for their industry when Egan blasted home from close range in the sixth minute of stoppage time after Enda Stevens’ ball from the byeline.

The point means Sheffield United are nine points clear of third-placed Blackburn Rovers as they aim to return to the Premier League.

Rangers – who had been set to jump five places up to 10th in the table before the equaliser – move up to 12th, three points from the play-off places.

The two sides’ form going into the fixture could not have been more contrasting – the Blades had won eight of their last nine while QPR had taken five points in the same spell and scored just two goals.

But it was QPR who impressed from the off, and Chair in particular as the Moroccan was at the centre of his side’s creativity and was rewarded with the opening goal.

United centre-back Egan played a pass from a short goal kick straight to Chris Willock who found Chair 25 yards out and his right-footed shot clipped Egan and left Foderingham with no chance of reacting to it.

Chair curled an effort over the bar soon after, while at the other end Seny Dieng saved the Blades’ first real effort with his legs after Billy Sharp was put through.

The goal seemed to galvanise QPR, who looked a different side from the one that had struggled over the past two months, as Chair had a 25th-minute effort blocked by Berge after good work by Tyler Roberts.

The R’s pushed for a second before the break, but Rob Dickie’s goal-bound effort was blocked by Ciaran Clark five minutes from half time.

The hosts kept up their form early in the second half as Lyndon Dykes had a shot deflected wide before Dickie failed to guide a Chair free-kick on target.

But the Blades began to take command as the half went on. First Sharp had another chance to level, but his lob from the edge of the box looped over Dieng and the crossbar while Iliman Ndiaye was kept out by Foderingham after a lengthy run into the R’s box soon after.

Ndiaye felt he should have had a penalty when he went down under a challenge from Jimmy Dunne with 14 minutes left as the Blades continued to pile on the pressure while Daniel Jebbison had a shot saved.

But Rangers could not hold out as United continued to push forward at the death and Egan smashed in from six yards for his second goal in his last three matches.