The 2014–15 FA Cup fourth round match between Chelsea and Bradford City was played on 24 January 2015 at Stamford Bridge in West London. The match is considered not only one of the biggest FA Cup upsets in history, but also one of the most dramatic comebacks in the history of the competition, with Bradford City winning 4–2 away, despite being 2–0 down after 38 minutes.[1][2][3] In December 2019 readers of Bradford-based newspaper Telegraph & Argus voted it Bradford City's best match of the 2010s.[4]
 The match was played at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea's home stadium | |||||||
| Event | 2014–15 FA Cup fourth round proper | ||||||
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| Date | 24 January 2015 | ||||||
| Venue | Stamford Bridge, London | ||||||
| Referee | Andre Marriner (Birmingham) | ||||||
| Attendance | 41,014 | ||||||
Chelsea were leading 2–0 after 38 minutes with goals from Gary Cahill and Ramires before Jon Stead scored in the 41st minute to make it 2–1 at half-time. However, Bradford City staged a second half comeback as Filipe Morais, Andy Halliday, and Mark Yeates each scored a goal (including one in stoppage time) to help Bradford City win the game 2–4, thus allowing the Bantams to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time in 18 years. It also ended Chelsea's hopes of winning a quadruple that season.[5][6] The match became Chelsea's first home loss that season, and the first time they had conceded three goals at home to a lower division side in the FA Cup since their 1991 third round match against Oxford United.
At the time, Chelsea were at the top of the table in the Premier League and Bradford City were 6th in League One, meaning there were 49 places between the two clubs. Bradford City entered the competition in the first round and went through to the fourth round after winning a replay against Millwall 4–0 at home.[7]
The 2014–15 FA Cup Fourth round is known as one of the most eventful in recent times. Only one of the then "big six" teams in England won at the first attempt which was Arsenal who beat then-Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion away 3–2. Arsenal went on to win the competition. On that same day, then-defending Premier League champions Manchester City also lost their fourth-round match at home by a margin of 2 against then-Championship side, Middlesbrough.[8] Leicester City who were struggling with poor form going into the match, beat Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Meanwhile, Manchester United and Liverpool had been held to 0–0 draws with then-League Two clubs Cambridge United and Championship Bolton Wanderers respectively, forcing replays (which they won 3–0 and 2–1 respectively).[9]
Background
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At the time, Chelsea were comfortably sitting at the top of the Premier League table, 5 points ahead of eventual runners-up Manchester City.[10] They had also finished at the top of their UEFA Champions League group and were in the semi-finals of the Football League Cup. Conversely, Bradford City were in their second-consecutive season in League One, after winning the 2013 Football League Two play-off final against Northampton Town.[11] Bradford City's Portuguese winger, Filipe Morais joined Chelsea's academy in 2003 when he was 16. While José Mourinho was in his first stint as Chelsea manager, he promoted Morais to the first team at the start of the 2005–06 season, but he did not make any appearances as he was loaned out to MK Dons for most of the season. Billy Knott also spent time in Chelsea's academy, from 2007 to 2010, before transferring to Sunderland.[12]
During a press conference before the match José Mourinho said that if they were to lose to Bradford City that afternoon, it would be a "big disgrace" due to the fact that the Blues were one of the stronger sides in England at the time.[13]
Route to the match
edit| Chelsea | Round | Bradford City | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Result | Opponent | Result | |
| bye | First round proper | Halifax Town (5) | 1–2 (A) | |
| Second round proper | Dartford (5) | 4–1 (H) | ||
| Watford (1) | 3–0 (H) | Third round proper | Millwall (2) | 3–3 (A) |
| Third round replay | 4–0 (H) | |||
Match
editChelsea took the lead in the 21st minute, when Gary Cahill volleyed the ball into the net from a corner taken by Oscar. Chelsea dominated possession until their next goal, which came in the 38th minute, after Ramires ran through the Bradford defence. Two minutes later, Bradford scored from a free kick; the ball was passed from Morais to Andrew Davies and then to Jon Stead, who scored to make the score 2–1.
The early second half was marked by a number of chances for both teams. José Mourinho brought on Willian for Mohamed Salah and Cesc Fàbregas for John Obi Mikel, who had suffered a head injury. Morais scored an unexpected equaliser in the 75th minute from a throw-in to bring the game to 2–2. Loïc Rémy was immediately substituted for Eden Hazard, but Chelsea still failed to produce a goal. Phil Parkinson made his first substitution in the 80th minute, taking off Billy Knott for Mark Yeates. Two minutes later, Andy Halliday scored to put Bradford in front. Chelsea were unable to score during seven minutes of stoppage time, while Yeates chipped the ball over Petr Čech in the 94th minute to secure a famous victory for Bradford City.
Details
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Match rules
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Post-match
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Immediately following the full-time whistle, the Bradford City players ran straight for the stand with the away supporters to celebrate their unlikely victory.[14] Chelsea manager, José Mourinho clapped in respect and walked into the tunnel with the team's substitutes. After the game, he went into Bradford City's dressing room and shook the hands of Parkinson, Bradford City's staff, and all of the players, congratulating them for their performance. Bradford City goalkeeper, Ben Williams, described Mourinho as "classy and humble" when he walked into their dressing room.[15]
Mourinho described the match as surprising and incredible, and that their comeback was one of the things that makes football and the magic of the FA Cup so special. However, he was very disappointed with his team's performance and committed to his words before the press conference and considered the result a "disgrace" on both his record and Chelsea's record.[16][17]
Bradford City manager, Phil Parkinson described the moment as "surreal" and was very impressed with his players due to the result of the match. He also said that this win against Chelsea was much more impressive than their run to the 2013 Football League Cup Final, where they beat the likes of Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Wigan Athletic, all of whom were in the Premier League at the time. They did however, lose that final 5–0 to Swansea City.[18] Billy Knott also thought that the game was impressive and said that it was the "greatest moment of his career". Chelsea legend, John Terry, even gave him his shirt after the match, which he then gave to his dad, a Chelsea supporter.[19] Terry also complimented James Hanson's performance.[20] Filipe Morais stated that "bravery" played a huge role in staging their comeback against the Blues.[21]
Aftermath
editThe press and English football fans have dubbed the result as one of the most ridiculous upsets in the history of the competition.[22] Former Liverpool player, Robbie Fowler, and former Tottenham player, Jermaine Jenas, described the game as "the greatest FA Cup upset", as the Bantams had "too many odds against them".[23] Bradford won the FA Cup Giant-Killing Award as a result, for the biggest FA Cup giant-killing of the season.[24]
Bradford City
editBecause of that win, Bradford City progressed to the fifth round, where they would play against another Premier League club, Sunderland. They won the game in their home stadium by a score of 2–0,[25] and reached the Quarter-finals. They did not make a trip to Wembley Stadium though, as they lost 3–0 away to Reading after a replay, ending their FA Cup run.[26] It was also their first quarter-final appearance in the FA Cup since the 1975–76 season. Bradford City would end up finishing 7th in League One, just narrowly missing out on the promotion play-offs by 4 points. They were not playing in any other competitions at the time, as they were knocked out of both the Football League Trophy and Football League Cup back in September.[27][28]
Chelsea
editChelsea did not let that upset affect the rest of their season. Three days after the upset, they would win their second-leg tie against Liverpool in the EFL Cup semi-finals by a score of 1–0 thanks to an extra time goal by Branislav Ivanović, allowing them to win 2–1 on aggregate.[29] They would then go on and win the final 2–0 against London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur.[30] They would also stay first in the Premier League for the rest of the season, and secure their 5th English title with 3 games to spare, after a 1–0 win against Crystal Palace.[31] However, their hopes of progressing past the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League ended after they tied the second leg 2–2 at Stamford Bridge, bringing the aggregate score to 3–3, allowing Paris Saint-Germain to go to the next round on away goals.[32] Bradford City were the only away side to win at Chelsea all season.[24]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "The biggest FA Cup shocks in the history of the game". The Independent. 18 February 2017. Archived from the original on 21 February 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "The 10 biggest Cinderella runs in FA Cup history". FOX Sports. 18 February 2017. Archived from the original on 8 January 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "The greatest shock in FA Cup history?". BBC Sport. 31 May 2018. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Bantams game of the decade - here's the results of our readers poll". Telegraph & Argus. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Thibaut Courtois: 'Chelsea squad strong enough to win the quadruple'". The Guardian. 21 January 2015. Archived from the original on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Chelsea for the quadruple? Jose Mourinho thinks it could happen". SportsJOE.ie. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- ^ "Bradford City 4–0 Millwall". BBC Sport. 14 January 2015. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Manchester City 0–2 Middlesbrough". BBC Sport. 24 January 2015. Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Cambridge United 0–0 Manchester United". BBC Sport. 24 January 2015. Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "2014–15 Premier League (Matchday 22)". Premier League. 23 January 2015. Archived from the original on 24 August 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Bradford City 3–0 Northampton Town". The Guardian. 18 May 2013. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ Shaw, Matthew (23 January 2015). "Interview: Billy Knott". The Set Pieces. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ "Losing to Bradford City will be a big disgrace: Jose Mourinho". Sportskeeda. 24 January 2015. Archived from the original on 19 July 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ Rosenblatt, Ryan (24 January 2015). "Bradford fans lose their minds after upset of Chelsea". SB Nation. Archived from the original on 26 January 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ ""Classy" Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho visited Bradford changing room to congratulate FA Cup win". ESPN. 25 January 2015. Archived from the original on 13 December 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Cup exit a disgrace - Mourinho". BBC Sport. 24 January 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "José Mourinho slams Chelsea show as 'disgraceful' after FA Cup shock". The Guardian. 24 January 2015. Archived from the original on 25 January 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ Parkinson, Phil (24 January 2015). "Beating Chelsea is surreal - Parkinson". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ Parker, Simon (3 June 2016). "Gone but Knott forgotten thanks to one magic moment against Leeds". Telegraph & Argus. Archived from the original on 7 June 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Terry lauds Hanson for leaving Chelsea black and Blues". Telegraph & Argus. 12 February 2015. Archived from the original on 7 June 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ Banks, Tony (26 January 2015). "Filipe Morais says 'bravery' was key to Bradford's FA Cup shock at Chelsea". Daily Express. Archived from the original on 26 January 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "8 Reasons Chelsea Losing To Bradford Is The Most Ridiculous Result In FA Cup History". the18. 25 January 2015. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "The greatest FA Cup shock ever?". BBC Sport. 24 January 2015. Archived from the original on 7 June 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ a b "City Win FA Cup Giant-Killers Award". Bradford City A.F.C. 28 May 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Bradford City 2–0 Sunderland". BBC Sport. 15 February 2015. Archived from the original on 12 January 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Reading 3–0 Bradford City". BBC Sport. 16 March 2015. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Oldham Athletic 1–0 Bradford City". BBC Sport. 2 September 2014. Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Milton Keynes Dons 2–0 Bradford City". BBC Sport. 23 September 2014. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Capital One Cup: Chelsea reach final as Branislav Ivanovic's goal sinks Liverpool". Sky Sports. 28 January 2015. Archived from the original on 19 October 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Chelsea 2–0 Tottenham Hotspur". BBC Sport. 1 March 2015. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Chelsea 1–0 Crystal Palace". BBC Sport. 3 May 2015. Archived from the original on 27 March 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Chelsea v PSG (2015)". UEFA.com. 11 March 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2021.