The Addicks remain in 18th place, two points behind the Blades and Wigan.

Although both sides gained ground on the fast-fading Latics, the matches with which to save their top-flight status are running out as the season heads towards a thrilling climax.

Charlton had taken the lead through a deflected, long-range effort from Talal El Karkouri on the hour.

However, rather than controlling the destiny of the match, the home side had a "wobbly five minutes", sat back and invited pressure.

The Blades eventually drew level when Jonathan Stead drilled in an angled drive from the edge of the box to ensure a hard-fought share of the spoils.

With a trip to Blackburn next weekend, followed by the visit of Tottenham and a final-day clash at Liverpool, Pardew maintains there is still "all to play for".

The Charlton boss said: "In terms of us staying up, the percentage chance will have gone down after the result.

"But I am still looking at the fixtures which we have - and I am not looking at anyone else's - because we have three games left and we need to take what we have done today into the next match.

"There are positives to come out of it, because for 70 minutes it was a strong, well-disciplined performance.

"Unfortunately the goal seemed to affect us in a negative way.

"I thought we got a little bit rash, a bit over-eager and were so desperate to win. We just needed to survive a wobbly five minutes, which we did not managed to do.

"Even the officials got wrapped up in the tension of it all. I was desperate to get some subs on because Ben Thatcher was struggling with a hip injury - and that player was then involved in the goal for them."

Pardew added: "Sheffield United came here and used all the tricks away from home to try to slow us down and kill the tempo, but we would not give into that. We chased the game at the end, but with no joy.

"We have not got the result we wanted today, but the other results have gone our way. Now with three games to go, it is all to play for and there is maybe five clubs involved. It is going to be tense.

"We obviously need one more win for sure, and that might be enough. Who knows?

"We will just go into the match next week at Blackburn trying to win and see where we are."

The visiting fans were chanting "we are staying up" at the final whistle.

However, there is still some work ahead yet before they can pop the champagne corks in South Yorkshire.

Blades boss Neil Warnock declared: "If you look at our record against the bottom six sides, we are miles ahead at the top of the league - now we have to continue that over the final three games.

"There is pressure on everybody, but maybe not as much on us because everyone expected Sheffield United to be in there.

"Charlton are not down because they have failed to beat us.

"It is amazing what you can do with a group of players who believe. We knew we had to stand up and be counted today.

"We have a gritty bunch of players, which showed out there - and I thought referee Alan Wiley was outstanding, which is unusual for me.

"It was one of the best performances I have seen as a manager, and thank goodness he was in charge."

Warnock was full of praise for Stead, who endured a tough time at Sunderland and arrived at Bramall Lane in a cut-price £750,000 deal in January.

He said: "I think he has been very harshly treated. When he was at Blackburn at few years ago, he kept them up single-handedly.

"That probably went a little to his head and he has had a couple of difficult seasons.

"Maybe too many expectations were on Jon. But since he has come to us he has been a breath of fresh air.

"His goal today was like an exocet missile."