Chelsea 2-4 Bradford City
- Published
Chelsea go two goals in front, but are then beaten
Bradford are 49 places below Jose Mourinho's side
Bantams into fifth round of FA Cup for first time in 18 years
Defeat ends Chelsea's hopes of quadruple
League One side Bradford City produced an amazing comeback from 2-0 down to beat Premier League leaders Chelsea in a thrilling FA Cup fourth-round tie.
Gary Cahill flicked Oscar's left-wing corner in to put the Blues ahead, before Ramires doubled their lead after a one-two with team-mate Mohamed Salah.
Bradford's Jon Stead pulled one back with a powerful 18-yard shot and Filipe Morais side-footed in an equaliser.
Andy Halliday blasted the Bantams ahead with Mark Yeates slotting in a fourth.
The game looked finished when Ramires made it 2-0 after 38 minutes, before Phil Parkinson's side secured one of the most memorable victories in their history.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho had said it "would be a disgrace" if they lost the game and, despite making nine changes to his starting line-up, still fielded a strong side.
They had won all 10 of their Premier League matches at Stamford Bridge this season and had been pushing for an unprecedented quadruple in English football - the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup.
However, their defeat added to an incredible fourth round of the FA Cup that has also seen Manchester United draw 0-0 at League Two side Cambridge United and Manchester City lose 2-0 at home to Championship club Middlesbrough.
Feeling the Blues |
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Chelsea's defeat means they have failed to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup for only the second time in 17 seasons. |
But take nothing away from Parkinson's team, who are ranked 49 places below their opponents. They showed great character and resilience to not only fight back from 2-0 down, but also to look good value for their lead.
Cheered on by 6,000 away fans who created a fantastic atmosphere inside Stamford Bridge, the Bantams chased for every ball, battled hard and also had the same number of shots on target as their opponents.
Stead's stunning 41st-minute strike gave them a way back into the game, before Morais, who began his career at Chelsea, netted a second after James Meredith's long throw-in.
With one eye on Tuesday's League Cup semi-final second leg against Liverpool, Mourinho had rotated his side but that decision backfired.
He brought on Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard as they tried to get back into the game, but Halliday blasted the visitors 3-2 ahead.
The Blues had chances to equalise but Didier Drogba headed over and Kurt Zouma also wasted a close-range opportunity.
Then, in the 90th minute, Yeates collected Stead's back-heel to score Bradford's fourth as they moved into the fifth round of the competition for the first time in 18 years and clinched their place in FA Cup folklore.
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