MX23RW : Monday, December 23 18:23:13| >> :600:2098350:2098350:

Match Analysis: Bradford City 0-5 Swansea City

Sports Mole looks back over Swansea City's League Cup success at the expense of Bradford City.

Swansea City won the League Cup for the first time in their history thanks to a 5-0 victory over Bradford City at Wembley this afternoon.

Nathan Dyer and Jonathan de Guzman both claimed braces for the Swans, while leading goalscorer Michu also found the net.

A miserable afternoon was compounded for the Bantams when goalkeeper Matt Duke was sent off during the second half.

As Swansea begin their celebrations, Sports Mole has looked back over the contest to determine if the scoreline was harsh on Bradford.

Match statistics:

Bradford:
Shots 3
On target 3
Possession 35%
Corners 1
Fouls 3

Swansea:
Shots 15
On target 10
Possession 65%
Corners 8
Fouls 4

Was the result fair?

Statistics don't often lie and they certainly don't today. From the word go Swansea were the dominant force and deserving of a such a big victory. If anything, and as cruel as it would have been on Bradford, they should have won by even more goals.

Bradford's performance

The League Two outfit may be disappointed that they didn't cause Swansea more problems, but it wasn't easy. They knew heading into this match that it would take a massive effort to win the trophy and it proved to be beyond them. The Bantams by no means disgraced themselves though and defended extremely well, despite shipping five goals.

Swansea's performance

As favourites, Swansea could have been forgiven for feeling some pressure heading into this encounter. They showed no signs of that though from the first whistle as they got their passing game going early and made it look easy. They didn't underestimate their opposition and could have won by an even bigger margin in the end.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Nathan Dyer: The little winger was a constant menace to the Bradford defence before he was substituted late in the game. His pace caused no end of problems and his two goals were reward for what was a top performance from the 25-year-old.

Biggest gaffe

In a game of few errors, this award will have to go to both Dyer and De Guzman for arguing like school children over the penalty. Dyer wanted to take it because he was on a hat-trick, but De Guzman eventually won the battle following the intervention of a number of teammates.

Referee performance

The major talking point surrounding Kevin Friend will be his decision to send off Duke. It may have been harsh on the Bradford keeper, but by the letter of the law he had to go. All in all, Friend can be pleased with his performance.

What next?

Bradford: It's back to League Two matters on Wednesday night as the Bantams play host to Dagenham & Redbridge.

Swansea: The Swans also return to league action next time out, although not until Saturday when Newcastle United travel to the Liberty Stadium.

ID:71062: cacheID:71062:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4955:
Written by
Liam Apicella
No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Swansea's Michu celebrates his goal against Bradford with Ben Davies on February 24, 2013
Read Next:
Live Commentary: Bradford City 0-5 Swansea City - as it happened
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!