Bradford City pulled off one of the results of the Carabao Cup second round with a comprehensive 3-0 victory away at Championship leaders Stoke City.
Goals from Will Swan, Brad Halliday and George Lapslie secured a famous night for Graham Alexander’s League One side, who added another scalp to their growing list after already eliminating Blackburn Rovers in round one.
Bantams Ruthless At The Bet365 Stadium
The visitors made the perfect start, silencing the home crowd after just 12 minutes. Tyreik Wright’s corner was met by Swan at the near post, the in-form striker glancing a header past Jack Bonham for his fourth goal of the season.
Confidence surged through the Bantams and just after the half-hour mark their advantage was doubled. Swan was again at the heart of the move, combining with Lapslie to set up full-back Halliday, whose calm finish marked his first appearance of the season in style.
Stoke, who made ten changes from their weekend league victory over Southampton, struggled to gain fluency and rarely troubled a disciplined Bradford backline. Despite dominating possession, the Potters lacked a cutting edge in the final third, with reserve forward Robert Boženík feeding on scraps. Manager Mark Robins left senior figures such as Sorba Thomas, Million Manhoef and Lewis Baker on the bench, underlining where his priorities lay in a congested schedule.
Bradford continued to frustrate their hosts and put the tie beyond doubt shortly after the hour. Swan broke through again, his effort saved by Bonham, but Lapslie was quickest to react, converting the rebound from close range to spark jubilant celebrations among the travelling support.
The result not only extends Bradford’s unbeaten start to the season but also delivers a milestone for Alexander, who equalled Peter O’Rourke’s long-standing record by registering his 50th win in charge of the club in just 98 matches. The manager hailed the performance as “top notch” and praised both the clinical finishing in attack and the collective resilience shown in defence.
For Stoke, defeat ends a flawless opening to their campaign and serves as a stark reminder of the perils of heavy rotation. The 2013 finalists were well below their best, and the home crowd of 9,947 watched on as their side slipped meekly out of the competition.
Writer’s View
This was as complete a performance as Bradford could have hoped for, mixing energy, discipline and clinical finishing to humble higher-level opposition. Swan’s purple patch continued, while Halliday and Lapslie took their chances superbly.
Alexander’s men look like a side building real momentum and their reward could now be a glamour tie in the third round. For Stoke, it was a night to forget, their lack of sharpness punished by a side brimming with belief.
