YOU did not have to be a trained psychologist to watch last night's match and work out which team had tasted Cup glory three days earlier and which had suffered a demoralising defeat.

It does not matter if you are playing a lot of games if you are winning them and if you are on a roll.

The Blades looked as if they were still running on the adrenaline from Sunday's victory over Leeds. In contrast the Clarets defeat by Watford had a similar affect to an overdose of Mogadon.

In every department they were second best and the plan to bring back three key players, all short of match practise, back-fired.

There is no doubting the quality of Steve Davis, Paul Weller of Glen Little but their first start would have been hard enough against any side, never mind the in-form and inspired Blades.

Burnley boss Stan Ternent was certainly not looking for excuses, acknowledging it may have been a Cup "hangover". They played so poorly it was a hangover the size you would get if you celebrated your birthday on New Year's Eve in a Scottish distillery.

As for the Blades, their performance was Champagne all the way.

One irony that may not be lost on Burnley is that this match should have been played on New Year's Day and, if it had been, Michael Brown would have been suspended.

How Ternent must have wished he had been on the sidelines last night as he fired home the two first half goals that all but ended the game as a contest.

There had been little in the opening exchanges and Lee Briscoe, fed by Little, had already missed a great chance to give his side an early lead when Brown netted his first.

His ability to strike a great ball from long range is hardly a secret but when he was found in space on the edge of the box by Stuart McCall not one Burnley player went to close him down.

It was therefore with a sense of inevitability that the ball was sent flying into the top right hand corner of Marlon Beresford's goal. Brown had so much time he could have drawn a little diagram of where he wanted to put the ball.

Twenty minutes later the same bit of the onion bag was again bulging and once more it was Brown's right boot that was responsible. This time it was a free kick, awarded for a foul by Little on Steve Kabba.

The wall was lined up but still Beresford managed to let it curl inside his near post when he looked to have it covered. It was the second successive game he looked as if he might have done better in dealing with a free kick.

"It would be fair to say I was disappointed with those goals," said Ternent. "Marlon is a very good goalkeeper and he sets his own standards," implying that the keeper was below them last night.

With the second goal it was effectively game over even though more than half the match remained. The Blades were too fast, too strong and too skilful for the Clarets and at half time the question being asked was how many they would win by.

They did start the stronger after the break but, to general surprise, the next goal went to Burnley. Robbie Blake had replaced Dean West and some determined play ended with his pass being deflected to Briscoe in space. He chipped a cross into the six yard box and ex-Blade Gareth Taylor netted his 13th goal of the season.

Suddenly there were hopes of the most unlikely comeback of the season, hopes that lasted no more than a couple of minutes.

That was the length of time it took United to score again, taking advantage of Cox's failure to control Steve Kabba who was once again running the Burnley defence ragged. He did it for Grimsby last October and was once again electric.

Ternent had no doubt his player should have done better. "Coxy made a rick in the corner when he could easily have cleared the ball," he moaned - but he didn't.

Instead he allowed Kabba to get round him, keep the ball in and whip in a cross that sub Peter Ndlovu put away in good style.

Ndlovu was clearly keen to impress with so many big games awaiting the Blades and the fourth goal was an even better finish, this time after being picked out by a superb cross field ball from Nick Montgomery. Controlled on the chest, he then cut inside and lashed the ball beyond Beresford's despairing dive.

Desperate would be a good word to describe the Clarets performance and Blake's goal in the last minute of normal time was not even enough to earn consolation status.

But it did at least provide one ray of hope for the future, being a well worked and well finished effort after a move involving Weller and Little, the latter slipping Blake in and the striker scoring with his left foot, his first goal since Brentford.

With the games continuing to come thick and fast Burnley will get another swift chance to get a bad result out of their system at Walsall on Saturday.

This was another display to rank alongside those against Grimsby, Rotherham and Reading although the Blades would rate as the best of the opponents to have given them a right going over.

After the defeat by Reading, Ternent had said that his team would not "throw another one in". They have now but he will hope that is it. If they are to have any hope of making the play-offs it will have to be!

SHEFFIELD UNITED 4 (Brown 16, 36, Ndlovu 67, 72)

BURNLEY 2 (Taylor 64, Blake 90)

Attendance: 17,359

At Bramall Lane