Sheffield United continued their recent resurgence at the expense of Sam Allardyce, to increase hopes they could pull off the impossible.
The Blades came from behind to beat West Brom 2-1 at Bramall Lane.
Ahead of Tuesday night's game, United manager Chris Wilder claimed he was "excited" by the task of trying to guide his side to safety. At the full-time whistle, he must have been positively giddy.
West Brom arguably had the better of the opening exchanges, with Republic of Ireland striker Callum Robinson curling a shot from the edge of the box just wide of Aaron Ramsdale's upright.
The hosts were left to rely on a succession of set pieces from John Fleck, while a long-range Ethan Ampadu effort was punched away by Sam Johnstone.
But it was Allardyce's side who went in front just before the break. Robinson led a break, with Ramsdale parrying the Ireland man's effort. Recent signing Mbaye Diagne failed to tuck the ball home, but Matt Phillips made no mistake with the goal gaping.
Wilder swapped Olis at half-time with Norwood exchanged for the threat of McBurnie in the final third.
However, it was Jayden Bogle that levelled matters for United, smashing the ball home with his left foot after Chris Basham had run into a cul-de-sac in the West Brom area.
Eight minutes later, West Brom should have been back in front. Ramsdale saved from point-blank after Robinson got on the end of a fine searching cross from the right.
The three-points were secured by a Blades lifer. Billy Sharp pounced after a ball from the right led to some pinball to give Wilder's men a 2-1 win.
"I don’t get the pussyfooting around players," Wilder said of his side's predicament, "Of course there is a time and a place and I don’t always take a sledge hammer to them.
"This is where we are, this is the position that we are in and this is the division that we are in - they are professional and they have to play under pressure and if they can’t cope with that then they are not going to survive at the highest level.
"It’s not about me testing them, it’s about me demanding more and asking the question can they come up with the answer.
"A lot of young players out there in the seconds half, Lowe, Bogle, they have not been in this position before, but it’s on top for them, it’s on top and I am putting in the position where they have to produce and Ethan as well, apart from a couple of poor decisions that he took it was a man performance from him and they have to show that man performance.
"I keep saying if the line back misses a tackle in a key game in American football, the coach isn’t coming up to him and saying unlucky mate.
"I never get all this ponsing about with ‘is it right to say that about them?’
"I will just nail it by saying I am their biggest supporter but I am always asking the question and I am a demanding manager and they have to produce and to be fair to them in the second half they did that."
