Swansea turned on the style at Wembley to outclass Bradford and lift the Capital One Cup after an emphatic 5-0 victory on Sunday afternoon.
The League Two side's remarkable run to the final had been well documented and there were plenty of fans dreaming of another upset on the biggest stage of all, but Phil Parkinson's men were up against a side who were having a fairytale season themselves thanks to stirling Premier League form and a semi-final triumph over Chelsea.
Michael Laudrup's cool persona has translated perfectly to his team's footballing style this season and the slick passing and cutting edge we've come to expect from Swansea was evident from the off as they dominated the opening exchanges. Bradford hardly touched the ball in the opening quarter of an hour and found themselves behind soon after.
Ironically it was a rare spell of Bradford possession that allowed Swansea to launch a devastating counter attack and open the scoring. The ball eventually found its way out to Michu on the left hand side of the penalty area, and the Spaniard's effort at goal forced Matt Duke into a save that could only tee up Nathan Dyer to score the first of the afternoon at the back post.
It was a devastatingly simple goal and it momentarily silenced the noisy Bantams faithful as their side looked to find a way back into the game. Unfortunately for them just getting a touch of the ball was proving difficult as Swansea stroked the ball about at will and with consumate ease.
The second goal was a while coming but predictably came from Michu. It was a bad time for Bradford to concede, right on the stroke of half-time, but they could do little about it. The number 9 picked the ball up in a similar position to the first goal, but this time he scored himself as he sent a delicious finish through the legs of Carl McHugh and past a helpless Duke.
Bradford started the second half just as they finished the first as they conceded the third of the afternoon, with Dyer grabbing his second with a sumptuous curled finish with his left foot into the far top corner. The build-up play was similarly fantastic, with a clever dummy from Michu and a wonderfully weighted pass from Wayne Routledge allowing Dyer to finish.
Just 9 minutes later the game was well and truly over as Duke saw red for a foul on Jonathan De Guzman and the Dutchman picked himself up to dispatch the penalty past substitute goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin. Dyer was unhappy that he wasn't given the chance to notch the first ever hattrick in a League Cup final, but there could be few complaints with how De Guzman struck home his penalty.
Laudrup knew the game was won and made changes to his side knowing that the Premier League run-in becomes the focus come next week, but his side still managed to score a fifth DEEP INTO INJURY TIME. Angel Rangel came forward from right back and put a teasing cross into the penalty area, which was swept home by De Guzman for his second of the game.
The final whistle confirmed Swansea City's first ever major trophy, and whilst there will undeniably be plenty of sympathy for Bradford, as much credit should be paid to the Welsh side for turning up and playing to their best on the day; a true Premier League showing.
Michael Laudrup has a huge reputation across Europe and he'll take his side into their first ever continental competition next season with qualification for the Europa League secured, and who'd be surprised of another cup run for them there considering the devastating effectiveness of their eye catching football this season.
0 comments:
Post a Comment