Bradford City added another Premier League scalp to their impressive collection by beating Sunderland 2-0 to advance into the last eight of the FA Cup.
The League One outfit produced one of the all-time great cup upsets by overcoming Chelsea in the last round, and they were at it again this afternoon courtesy of a goal in either half at Valley Parade.
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Billy Clarke's early strike deflected awkwardly off John O'Shea to give the home side the lead against their more esteemed opponents, inside the opening few minutes.
Jon Stead's glancing header nearly extended Bradford's lead, before Ben Williams was called into action at the other end to keep out Adam Johnson's powerful drive.
Steven Fletcher then took a tumble in the box, but saw his appeal for a penalty waved away by referee Kevin Friend as the Premier League side continued to grow into the contest.
Sebastian Larsson was the next visiting player to try his luck on the end of a Danny Graham knockdown, getting away a shot which was deflected narrowly over the crossbar.
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It was not all one-way traffic, however, as Clarke came close once more when he drove into the opposition box and forced a decent save out of Vito Mannone.
The pattern of the half had firmly been set, with both teams looking to create goalscoring chances. It was Sunderland who had the better of the final few minutes when Graham and Patrick van Aanholt both tested Williams, who managed to remain strong to preserve the Bradford's slender lead.
Sunderland were unable to add any sustained pressure following the restart, however, and Stead kept up his impressive record of scoring in every round to put his former club to the sword shortly after the hour.
The goal came about following a poor piece of play from Johnson, with the midfielder failing to clear the ball properly when put under pressure, and the mistake proved costly as Stead found the back of the net via the width of the post.
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Connor Wickham, on at the break for the ineffectual Graham, perhaps should have pulled one back for his side when he headed towards goal from 10 yards out, only to see his attempt planted straight into the welcoming hands of Williams.
That proved to spell the end of Sunderland's cup campaign, although the dream continues for another round at least for the Bantams, who are now into the quarter-finals and one game away from a Wembley return.
Daniel Lewis
