Swansea set up Bradford final

[weslgarlic]

Swansea reached the first major cup final in their 100-year history as a goalless draw saw them beat Chelsea 2-0 on aggregate - but the achievement was overshadowed by a moment of madness from Eden Hazard.

With just over 10 minutes remaining of the Capital One Cup semi-final second leg, and Chelsea needing to score twice to take the tie to extra-time, the Belgian lost patience when a ball boy refused to hand over the ball after it had gone out of play for a goal-kick.

The ball boy fell to the ground as Hazard attempted to get the ball from him with the Blues forward then trying to kick it from under him but instead he appeared to make contact with the youngster.

Several Chelsea players went to tend to the ball boy, who was left holding his ribs, before referee Chris Foy produced a red card.

Demba Ba, who started in place of Fernando Torres, and Oscar failed to convert Chelsea's best chances, as Swansea showed the same resilience that characterised their first-leg win at Stamford Bridge to book a Wembley appointment with Bradford.

Benitez had opted for Ba up front with his side needing goals, and Fernando Torres not having found the net since December 23.

The Chelsea manager had predicted Swansea would look to sit back and protect their two-goal advantage from the first leg, but the hosts instead took Michael Laudrup's advice to be bold during a sharp opening.

They first had to survive a penalty scare after Ba went down under a challenge from Ben Davies.

Foy opted not to point to the spot although there was contact as Ba looked to step inside the full-back.

While Chelsea complained Swansea broke sharply and it took a superb block from Cesar Azpilicueta to keep out Wayne Routledge's fierce goalbound volley.

Michu, fresh from signing a new four-year contract, was the next to test the Chelsea rearguard from Routledge's reverse pass, but found Petr Cech equal to his angled drive.

Jonathan de Guzman also had a volley blocked, this time by Gary Cahill, as the hosts sought an early goal to take the tie further away from the European champions.

But Chelsea began to assert an authority on proceedings having weathered that flurry, and Swansea dropped progressively deeper as the half wore on.

It took 31 minutes for the Blues to genuinely threaten the Swansea goal, and when they did Oscar failed to take a great chance as Ashley Williams nipped in after a ricochet fell to the Brazilian in the box.

Angel Rangel cleared Gary Cahill's looping header off the line as the pressure increased, while Ba wasted another opportunity late in the half as he scooped a shot over the bar after Davies and Routledge had got in each other's way clearing a corner.

The former Newcastle striker was again off-target with a curling strike from the edge of the area five minutes into the second half, but Laudrup was by now imploring his defenders to get out of their own 18-yard box.

Frank Lampard and Juan Mata linked beautifully on the right, moments after taking part in an awful free-kick routine, but yet again there was a white shirt in the way to block the Spaniard's attempted ball across the six-yard box.

Gerhard Tremmel made a sharp stop to deny a fizzing effort from Hazard as the game entered the final 20 minutes, and Chelsea's hopes were effectively ended when Hazard was then dismissed in unsavoury fashion.

Pablo Hernandez and Nathan Dyer missed chances to secure victory on the night as Cech saved on both occasions, with the stadium still stunned by Hazard's astonishing dismissal.

And Swansea comfortably saw out six minutes of stoppage time to reach Wembley.

[ally]

http://youtu.be/IR0qjuSgQUg

[chillumpuffer]

Unfortunately for this worthless peice of shit he tweeted before the game he was going to do timewasting. In my opinion Hazard should have kicked him in the face

[ally]

Unfortunately for this worthless peice of shit he tweeted before the game he was going to do timewasting. In my opinion Hazard should have kicked him in the face

Yeah, he did tweet that he would and I think he made a real meal of the event too. That said, WTF was Hazard thinking ??!!. All he had to do was draw the attention of the match officials and any lost time would have been added on. To me this is just a meeting of dumb and dumber

[greenman]

Yeah, he did tweet that he would and I think he made a real meal of the event too. That said, WTF was Hazard thinking ??!!. All he had to do was draw the attention of the match officials and any lost time would have been added on. To me this is just a meeting of dumb and dumber

Indeed, well done Hazard you were outsmarted by a kid.

[ally]

Indeed, well done Hazard you were outsmarted by a kid.

Yep , that's it exactly

[weslgarlic]

• Bradford's Phil Parkinson hails players after stunning Aston Villa upset
  
  
  
  
  Phil Parkinson has saluted his Bradford City players and said they "will be remembered for years to come" after they eliminated Aston Villa on a memorable night in the Midlands to become the first fourth-tier team ever to reach a major Wembley final. Bradford, who are 10th in League Two, lost 2-1 on the night but won 4-3 on aggregate to inflict further embarrassment on Aston Villa, and secure a place in the Capital One Cup final next month, against either Swansea City or Chelsea.
  James Hanson, who was stacking shelves at a Co-op supermarket in Bradford a few years ago, scored the crucial goal in the second half to level the scores on the night after Christian Benteke had put Villa ahead. Although Andreas Weimann scored 90 seconds from time it was not enough to spare Villa from the humiliation of elimination at the hands of a team that had only one player who cost a transfer fee. Bradford paid Guiseley, in the Conference North, £7,500 for Hanson. Now Bradford's players have been promised a trip to Las Vegas by the club's owners.
  Defeating a Premier League club over two legs represents an extraordinary achievement for a League Two club that has suffered some dark days, including twice being placed in administration, since relegation from the top flight 11 years ago. Parkinson believes that his players will go down in history alongside those that led the club to the FA Cup final in 1911, when Jimmy Speirs scored the winner in a replay against Newcastle United at Old Trafford.
  "We said to the lads before that there was a chance to make history but we knew that we had to focus on the key elements in the game to get us there. I felt we certainly did that in the second half," said Parkinson, who described victory as the highlight of his career. "These lads will be remembered in the history of Bradford City for years to come. There's a 1911 lounge at the club to celebrate the Cup victory of that year, well, in years to come there will be a lounge named after this cup run and these players because of what they've achieved."
  Bradford had already knocked out Wigan and Arsenal before Villa became their third Premier League scalp in what will go down as one of the biggest upsets in football history. "Financially, the money we have earned up until this point has been fantastic but to go to Wembley is going to keep the club going for quite a while, I imagine," Parkinson said.
  "For the city of Bradford, it's massive and I really feel that this can galvanise the area. Our supporters have stuck with the club through some really tough times. Over the last 10 years there hasn't been a great deal to cheer about being a Bradford City supporter. I'm so pleased tonight that we've given them something to go into work tomorrow and hold their heads up high and be proud of the club."
  Bradford's players, celebrating on the pitch at the end in front of the 6,500 travelling supporters, struggled to comprehend what had happened. "I'm lost for words," said Gary Jones, the Bradford captain. "Just listen to the fans behind us. That says everything. To beat three Premier League teams and come here on a night like this is amazing. For a fourth-division team to get to Wembley is an absolutely incredible dream."
  Matt Duke, the Bradford goalkeeper who was superb in both legs, said: "I'm speechless, I can't believe it. We were 3-1 up, and we knew they would attack us but we fancied our chances. We thought we could score from set-pieces. It's a dream. When you're a kid getting into football, you dream of playing at Wembley. We're going to take a massive following there and we're just looking forward to it."
  For Paul Lambert, the Villa manager, this was a new low in a season that has turned into a disaster. "I am absolutely gutted, disappointed, hurt, everything," Lambert said. "You couldn't repeat what was said in the dressing room. Everyone is hurt."
  Asked whether he still believed he was right the man to lead Villa in the rest of the season, Lambert replied: "Yes absolutely. I do. When you ask managers that, they will tell you they just get on with it until they hear anything different. There are two ways – you either lie down and take it or you come out fighting. I am certainly not going to lie down."
  

[chillumpuffer]

Yes I agree but what is it with these people that he had the idea to actually do it? Society gone bad in my opinion. And dumb - yeah just look at him. If he had an ounce of brains he should have kept it to himself, done the deed,got a bit of a kicking and made a fortune by calling Max Clifford. But then again I assume he is Welsh?

[ally]

Yes I agree but what is it with these people that he had the idea to actually do it? Society gone bad in my opinion. And dumb - yeah just look at him. If he had an ounce of brains he should have kept it to himself, done the deed,got a bit of a kicking and made a fortune by calling Max Clifford. But then again I assume he is Welsh?

I have to think he did it for nothing more than attention. His family apparently are loaded so I doubt money was the issue in this case.. Then again, maybe daddy cut his money off. Judging by his son's antics, I'd say he had good reason to .