Chelsea vs. Bradford City: Score, Grades and Reaction from FA Cup Match
League One Bradford City pulled off one of the greatest upsets in their history after beating Chelsea 4-2 on Saturday to send the Premier League leaders out of the FA Cup.
Jose Mourinho made many changes to his side and initially sailed into a 2-0 lead, but the Stamford Bridge hosts were complacent enough to let their foes back in, losing out on any FA Cup chances as a result. The Bantams' official Twitter account confirmed the underdog triumph:
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Mourinho used the fixture as an excuse to rest a raft of his first-string stars, but it was just as well the Portuguese had a backup goalkeeper of Petr Cech's quality in reserve.
Bradford's attack knew that chances in west London may be few and far between, but the Blues' No. 1 was called into action early on, with Andrew Davies testing his reflexes, per ESPN FC:
As could have been predicted, it was the home side who enjoyed a greater share of the clear-cut chances in the first period, but final-third troubles meant its breakthrough had to wait.
As Liam Twomey of Goal.com suggested, the influx of new names in the starting XI led to a sometimes disjointed attack from the hosts:
It took just over 20 minutes for the Premier League giants to find their groove, however, and Gary Cahill struck home from an Oscar corner to push Chelsea into a 1-0 lead.
Ramires netted in the 38th minute to seemingly put all hope beyond Phil Parkinson's minnows, but Jon Stead steered the ball brilliantly past Cech just moments later to bag a vital lifeline:
Bradford could be somewhat pleased with managing to keep their deficit down to one at the break, hoping that a second-half fightback may give them some chance of a replay on home turf.
And that was precisely what came as Parkinson evidently gave some significant words of encouragement to his would-be giant killers before heading back into the fray.
Parkinson chose to keep his hand close to his chest, refrain from panicking with substitutes and instead keep the faith in those he started. It paid off.
After 30 minutes of holding Chelsea off in the second period, former Chelsea academy player Filipe Morais heaped disappointment on compatriot Mourinho. Archie Rhind-Tutt of BT Sport illustrated what a headline his intervention made:
It was here that Parkinson began to ring the changes and, with just eight minutes left in the FA Cup clash against a team 49 places above his in the English divisions, dreams edged closer to reality.
Stead switched from finisher to the role of playmaker, teeing Andy Halliday up for the strike that sent Bradford's travelling fans into rapture, per talkSPORT's Ian Abrahams:
As if that weren't enough embarrassment for the top-flight giants, Mark Yeates rose to net a fourth for the visitors, establishing a two-goal cushion and sending the official Bradford City Twitter account into delirium:
The final minutes were a tale of strength for Bradford. For some players, these were and could well go on to prove the tensest moments of a fixture they're ever likely to play.
The League One warriors stood firm, though, and Premier League favourites Chelsea drop out of this season's FA Cup as a result, while Bradford City progress with a major scalp in tow.
After the match, Mourinho was less than pleased with his side's effort, according to Dan Levene of Get West London and Jamie Reid of the FA:
Selected Player Grades
Petr Cech: B
It's not often a goalkeeper can concede four goals and still claim he was one of his side's more reliable players, but such was the case for Cech on Saturday.
As Bradford grew in confidence, so too did their gall in front of goal, with Abrahams hinting at their increasing confidence and threat on the Blues' net:
Cech was left stranded by his defence at times, and it may be true that Mourinho simply made too many changes in a back line that didn't always look at ease or familiar, their stopper suffering as a result.
Jon Stead: A
Goalscorer and puppeteer, Stead was a dynamic figure in attack for Parkinson's men and acted as a conduit for the team in many of the assaults they attempted on a vulnerable Chelsea defence.
This was the second FA Cup game in succession that the on-loan Huddersfield Town attacker has scored for the Bantams, with OptaJoe showing his reliability of late:
Filipe Morais: A
What a story it is for Portuguese Morais to return to the ground where he began his youth football career with a League One outfit and bag some redemption against the club that let him go.
OptaJoe also points out Morais as a particularly important figure to the Bradford cause:
There may well not be any remorse or animosity in that regard, but it doesn't quell the impact of just what a massive result this was for the Bantams, Morais once again among their prime strong-pullers.
Post-Match Reaction
Given the magnitude of his team's almighty fall, it would have been easy for Blues manager Mourinho to be bitter following the defeat to a third-tier outfit.
However, according to the official club Twitter account and KickTV, Mourinho reminded his critics to not forget the Bantams had earned their victory:
Despite that humility, however, the Champions League-winning tactician outlined just what a poor performance this was from the west Londoners, per BBC Sport's Tom Rostance:
BBC Look North quoted travelling manager Parkinson as paying tribute to those fans who had made the trip and helped win the tie:
