Bantams dump out Villa to seal Wembley final date

Villa were unable to claw back the 3-1 deficit from the first leg of the Capital One Cup encounter even though leading scorer Christian Benteke put them in front before half-time.

James Hanson’s headed effort early in the second period effectively killed off the tie and Villa substitute Andreas Weimann’s last-gasp goal secured a 2-1 win on the night but it was too little, too late.

The final whistle was the cue for wild scenes of delight from Bradford manager Phil Parkinson and his players who had overcome Arsenal in the previous round.

His side will now take on either Swansea or Chelsea at Wembley at the end of February.

Bradford boss Phil Parkinson admitted his side were in “dreamland” after beating Aston Villa 4-3 on aggregate to reach the Capital One Cup final.

The Bantams took a 3-1 lead into the second leg of their semi-final at Villa Park, where Christian Benteke reduced Villa’s deficit in the 24th minute.

Villa were well on top in the first half but James Hanson scored the vital goal on 55 minutes which meant Andreas Weimann’s 89th-minute strike only succeeded in setting up a tense finish.

“Coming here two goals up we had a great chance,” said Parkinson. “In the first half Villa were excellent, but in the second I thought we were excellent and deserved it.

“We felt in the first half we didn’t pass the ball and in the second we got hold of the ball and had a period of possession. We knew Villa are an attacking team that would leave space for us.

“It’s dreamland. We said we had a chance to make history and it’s absolutely tremendous.”

Read reports and analysis from Richard Sutcliffe and Leon Wobschall in Wednesday’s Yorkshire Post.