Billy Sharp struck twice to hand Sheffield United a 2-1 win over Coventry in a game marred by protests from the home fans.
The match was twice held up by fans running onto the pitch, briefly in the first half and then for six minutes as the players were taken off in the 86th minute.
The interruptions were just the latest in a series of protests against Sky Blues owners Sisu, with the club just one point off the bottom of the League One table after a run of six league defeats.
For the Blades meanwhile, the win takes them up to second, only behind Scunthorpe on goal difference.
Sharp put the visitors in front in the 23rd minute when a clearance from Jordan Turnbull went straight to his feet inside the penalty area and he returned a low shot into the corner of the net.
The game had already been held up by a pitch invader and the mood threatened to get even uglier but United failed to build on their lead in the first half.
Coventry failed to manage a shot on target before the interval and when they pulled level six minutes after the break, it was thanks to a large deflection off Paul Coutts. Dan Agyei, on loan from Burnley, tried his luck from 20 yards and watched the ball balloon over goalkeeper Simon Moore.
The second delay saw fans carrying banners and straight after the resumption, Sharp pounced on a loose ball to seal the win.
"It had no bearing on the result," said Coventry interim manager Mark Venus. "I think we worked really hard today and tried our best and the longer the game went on the more threat we had and the less threat they had. To give a late goal away says where we are at the moment, everything seems to go against us."
Blades boss Chris Wilder was disappointed the fans took their protest onto the pitch, adding: "I didn't enjoy it if I'm honest. That's twice that's happened to us, at Charlton, now here.
"It's disrupted the game. It's poor -- I have a bitter sweet taste in my mouth. We're talking about stuff that's off the pitch in the stands, it's a sad day."