Fourth-tier Bradford pulled off another major surprise in the League Cup on Tuesday, beating Aston Villa 3-1 in the first leg of their semifinal to move one step away from the club’s first major final since 1911.
Bradford followed up its stunning win over Arsenal on penalties by holding its own against another Premier League club, taking a 2-0 lead after goals from Nahki Wells in the 19th and Rory McArdle in the 77th. Andreas Weimann gave Villa a valuable away goal in the 83rd but Carl McHugh restored the more comfortable two-goal cushion with a powerful header in the 89th.
Villa can still turn things around at home, but is facing a much tougher task than expected after wasting a number of scoring opportunities against the League Two club. The second leg is at Villa Park on January 22.
“A draw would have been great - 3-1 is absolutely amazing,” Wells said. “We’re buzzing. Ahead two goals, we just need to stay resilient.”
Bradford’s only major trophy is the 1911 FA Cup title, and it has struggled both financially and on the pitch since a brief stint in the Premier League between 1999-2001.
Villa dominated early but were repeatedly thwarted throughout the game by goalkeeper Matt Duke, while Christian Benteke had two headers just high early on.
Bradford, meanwhile, took full advantage of set pieces when they arrived.