Bradford City 2-1 Leeds United

  • Published
Luke MurphyImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Luke Murphy became the fourth Leeds player to be sent off this season

League One Bradford City came from behind to knock 10-man Leeds United out of the League Cup and increase the pressure on Whites boss David Hockaday.

The Championship side had Luke Murphy sent off for two bookable offences inside the first 30 minutes but took the lead through Matt Smith's header.

Billy Knott blasted in an equaliser, before James Hanson headed in a winner.

And it was another dismal evening for Hockaday, who had nearly lost his job after his side's 4-1 loss at Watford.

After Saturday's game, Leeds owner Massimo Cellino said he was poised to dismiss Hockaday, who was only appointed in June, with the club 21st in the Championship after taking only three points from their first four league games.

Now Hockaday's side have also suffered an embarrassing early exit from the League Cup against their West Yorkshire rivals who are a division below them.

Image source, PA
Image caption,

James Hanson celebrates scoring the winning goal for Bradford City against rivals Leeds United

Murphy made a reckless challenge on City's Gary Liddle after only seven minutes and was then booked later in the first half with another poor tackle, this time on Bradford's James Meredith.

However, the visitors took an 82nd-minute lead in a fiery derby when Smith headed in David Norris's floated cross.

But the advantage only lasted two minutes before the Bantams, League Cup runners-up two seasons ago, equalised through Knott's powerful effort.

With the game heading towards extra-time, Hanson steered in Liddle's cross for a dramatic winning goal on 86 minutes.

In the third round, Bradford will now play fellow League One side MK Dons, who thrashed Louis van Gaal's Manchester United 4-0 on Tuesday.

Bradford manager Phil Parkinson:

"Without a doubt this is a big moment, we knew what this meant to the people of Bradford tonight and we said that to the lads before we went out there.

"We knew how we wanted to play but it was very important to come off the pitch knowing we'd given everything, and created a little bit of history. We knew we'd not beaten Leeds at Valley Parade for over 80 years.

"Those fans have gone away tonight knowing we did everything to make that happen for them."

Leeds United manager Dave Hockaday:

"I'm not a quitter, I'm a fighter. I feel as though not just myself, but the team at the moment, things just aren't going our way.

"But now we have to look at Saturday. They'll be in tomorrow, I'll be in tomorrow and it's on to the next game again.

"I don't have to say this but the players are 100% behind the way we want to play. The president, everyone, they all want us to do well. We're getting a lot of bad press at the moment, some of it self inflicted, and we're making it very difficult for ourselves on the field.

"It's a tough game at times but we've got to pick ourselves up. Nobody here is going to feel sorry for us."

Sorry, we can't display this part of the article any more.