Sheffield United 0-0 Sheffield Wednesday: Cameron Dawson penalty save earns Owls draw
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Cameron Dawson's penalty save was his second in successive games
Cameron Dawson saved a first-half penalty to earn Sheffield Wednesday a point from a goalless draw in a frenetic derby at Sheffield United.
The 23-year-old Owls keeper dived to his left to brilliantly turn David McGoldrick's 15th-minute spot-kick around the post.
Dawson had earlier superbly tipped a 30-yard shot from John Fleck behind, and kept out further efforts from McGoldrick and Mark Duffy as Wednesday defended resolutely to withstand wave after wave of pressure from the Blades.
And, in stoppage time at the end of the game, Blades captain Billy Sharp flashed a header wide from a corner while Oliver Norwood saw a free-kick pushed away by Dawson with the last kick of the game.
Wednesday, who arrived at Bramall Lane on the back of four successive defeats, registered only one effort on target when substitute Marco Matias dribbled a shot through to home keeper Dean Henderson.
But Morgan Fox, who conceded the hosts' penalty when he brought down Duffy, missed their best chance when he shot well over the bar from five yards following a corner.
In being held to a draw, Chris Wilder's United missed the chance to go back to the top of the table on a night when they dominated possession and territory throughout, but were unable to fashion a clear-cut chance in open play.
The Owls, meanwhile, eased the pressure on their boss Jos Luhukay, whose tenure began with a goalless Steel City derby draw in January, by keeping their first clean sheet of the season.
It was in no small part down to Dawson, whose penalty save was his second in consecutive weeks after keeping out Mario Vrancic's effort in last weekend's 4-0 home defeat by Norwich.
That loss prompted some Owls fans to call for the return of the experienced Keiren Westwood in goal, but they were singing the name of the Wednesday academy graduate when he denied McGoldrick, who had scored all three of his previous penalties this season, to ensure a share of the derby spoils.
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder told BBC Radio Sheffield:
"I thought we were outstanding. We had a plan, we stuck to that plan and we totally dominated a team that is full of big names.
"We just looked for that little break, whether it was the penalty, or a bit of magic around the edge of the box, but we couldn't quite find it.
"I'm not walking away tonight feeling any disappointment about how my team has played and I would rather be in our changing room with the way that we played, the plan we've got and the way we moved the ball around the pitch than the opposition's.
"I thought their goalkeeper was outstanding all night and their best player by a country mile."
Sheffield Wednesday boss Jos Luhukay told BBC Radio Sheffield:
"We must thank Cameron Dawson that he stopped a penalty, that was very important at the beginning of the game.
"After that the team worked unbelievably and defended well to keep our first clean sheet.
"It was hard for us to get forward but the team was there for each other, worked very hard and after last week we can live with this draw."