Chris Wilder paid tribute to the efforts of Liam Manning and his Bristol City side, before congratulating everyone of a Sheffield United persuasion with a play-off final berth secured in the most convincing of styles.
Goals from Kieffer Moore, Gustavo Hamer and substitute Callum O'Hare saw the Blades record a emphatic 6-0 aggregate success over the Robins, but Wilder admitted the test his team had overcome had been far greater than the scoreline suggested.
The boss remarked: "It was a tough evening for us, not one I've experienced before, been 3-0 up because we had everything to lose, they had everything to gain, so we touched on that.
"I've got a lot of respect for Liam (Manning) and his side, they are awkward to play against as we've seen in all four games, but we just had to get the job done. We had a dream of getting to Wembley to be one game away from the Premier League again and we've executed it in front of our own punters, so it is a fabulous evening."
Wilder continued: "Our attitude since the Burnley game has been spot on, we reset and focused mentality and physically the players are in good shape. We've been in a good place, but this was an awkward game, the first goal was crucial after getting through the first 20 minutes when we weren't great and we found a way.
"The atmosphere was incredible, we needed the energy from the supporters because there were some tired legs out there in game 48 of the season, but the players were driven by the supporters and it was a great environment to play in, but Bristol City gave it a right go given they've been stretched through injuries and suspensions."