Sam Gallagher scored a spectacular, if controversial, winner for Stoke City as they battled back to beat Sheffield United in a game dominated by stunning goals.

Former England international Kalvin Phillips had put the Blades ahead with a clever free-kick and first league goal for more than five years early in the second half.

Not to be outdone, Jack McGlynn slammed an outrageous equaliser past Blades goalkeeper Michael Cooper and into the top corner from distance with 12 minutes remaining.

Gallagher then came up with the best of the day's finishes, thumping his dipping winner home on the half volley after the flag stayed down when he appeared to have taken Ethan Galbraith's searching pass when in an obvious offside position.

The winner, worthy of being in the conversation for Championship goal of the season, extended Stoke's unbeaten run to five matches and added to Sheffield United's woes, as they slumped to a third successive defeat in all competitions.

There was a minute's pre-match applause and Stoke wore black armbands in tribute to former Potters forward Harry Burrows, who died earlier in September at the age of 85.

Both sides gave their supporters reasons to keep the ovations going in a high-energy start to the game at bet365 Stadium, with Liam Kitching heading narrowly wide for the Blades before Djibril Soumare tested visiting goalkeeper Michael Cooper with a shot from outside the box.

A heavy touch from Patrick Bamford, as he attempted to bring a cross down inside the box, meant Sheffield United's clearest opening of the first half was allowed to dribble into the grasp of goalkeeper.

Stoke's Lamine Cisse went on to drag an effort wide and Ben Johnson thumped a shot into the arms of keeper Cooper in first half that lacked any of the finishing quality that would transform the game in the second half.

Former Leeds United midfielder Phillips produced the smartest finish of the afternoon when he put the visitors ahead with his first goal for the Blades since joining them for a second loan stint from Manchester City in the summer.

He looked as if he would lift his free-kick from wide on the left-hand side into the box in search of a team-mate, but he instead bent his set-piece around the feeble one-man defensive wall and into the bottom corner instead.

Stoke pressed for a leveller and threatened a number of times before McGlynn eventually made it 1-1, letting loose from 30 yards after being allowed time and space to line up his fierce shot.

While Stoke looked most likely to go on and win it, Sydie Peck wastefully put a chance wide at the other end before Gallagher earned the Potters all three points with his memorable goal.

Stoke City manager Mark Robins told BBC Radio Stoke:

"It those goals don't deserve to win a football match, I don't know what level of quality does.

"That is a testament to Sam Gallagher, to work the way he has done after having to keep coming back from disappointment of injuries. That is a sheer demonstration of brute force, power and quality. It was unbelievable, what a goal.

"The first goal was good enough, that is Jack all over, but we worked really hard to get back on level terms after conceding what we felt was a real giveaway.

"It's good to see us being able to compete against teams that we haven't been able to so far. That should give them a load of confidence and belief that we can really go and play and make an impact at this level."

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder told BBC Radio Sheffield:

"It's a difficult one to take really. I thought we did a lot of things right, we limited them to next to nothing.

"Going 1-0 up we felt pretty comfortable going into the last 10 minutes and never really felt on the backfoot.

"Then you see what's happened – it's two unbelievable goals from them. And that's the way it is at the moment.

"We could, quite easily, in my opinion, have came away with a lot more in the last two games.

"We could have won last Sunday [a 1-0 defeat by Wolves] and today, but it's fine lines, small details and a couple of things that have gone against us today in terms of the quality of their goals from 30 or 35 yards.

"We are obviously disappointed that we've not taken any points from the past two games. It's hard to take because I believe the player deserved a lot more than zero points."