Bradford City's Rory McArdle, centre, celebrates after scoring against Aston Villa during their English League Cup semifinal soccer match at Valley Parade Stadium, Bradford, England, Tuesday Jan. 8, 2013. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
January 08, 2013 - 2:29 PM
BRADFORD, England - Fourth-tier Bradford pulled off another major surprise in the League Cup on Tuesday, beating Aston Villa 3-1 in the first leg of their semifinal to move one step away from the club's first major final since 1911.
Bradford followed up its stunning win over Arsenal on penalties by holding its own against another Premier League club, taking a 2-0 lead after goals from Nahki Wells in the 19th and Rory McArdle in the 77th. Andreas Weimann gave Villa a valuable away goal in 83rd but Carl McHugh secured the upset victory with a powerful header in the 89th.
Villa can still turn things around at home, but is facing a much tougher task than expected after wasting a number of scoring opportunities. The second leg is at Villa Park on Jan. 22.
Bradford's only major trophy is the 1911 FA Cup title.
News from © The Associated Press, 2013