BRADFORD City boss Graham Alexander savoured his side’s "great start" after they beat Championship hosts Blackburn Rovers 2-1 in a Carabao Cup first round EFL Cup upset at Ewood Park.

The League One outfit continued their unbeaten start this season and flew out of the traps. Ibou Touray's volley set them on their way before Will Swan rolled a second into an empty net after a blunder from debutant goalkeeper Nick Michalski as the pair scored their first competitive goals for the club.

Dion De Neve reduced the arrears before the break but Bradford deservedly held out to book their place in the hat for round two and secure their first away success since March 1.

Alexander praised that fast start, saying: "It's a great start for us. Two goals in four minutes. I thought we really went at them, showed we were here to compete and to win a game of football. I thought we played really well in the first half.

Bradford City manager Graham Alexander (Image: Tony Johnson)

placeholder image — Bradford City manager Graham Alexander (Image: Tony Johnson)

"Blackburn got a head of steam just before half-time, opened us up a couple of times. They get the goal from the long throw which is disappointing from our perspective, but we didn't let it affect our mindset going into the second half.

"It was a really tough game, had to work exceptionally hard out of possession but I thought we created really good opportunities to get an extra goal."

It was a miserable night for ex-Barnsley chief Valerien Ismael who confirmed captain Lewis Travis wants to leave. He said the poor start killed his team.

"We lost the game in the first five minutes. It's clear, two big mistakes. Not concentrating. After that, we were on the front foot, created a lot of chances. It's disappointing we kill us straightaway in the first five minutes."