Villa knocked out of League Cup by League Two Bradford

Aston Villa have been knocked out of the League Cup semi-finals by Bradford City of League Two, in one of the biggest shocks in the competition's history.

Villa won the second leg 2-1 at Villa Park on 22 January, but it was not enough to overturn the 3-1 defeat they suffered in the first leg at Valley Parade a fortnight ago. Bradford go through 4-3 on aggregate.

A historic night for Bradford

Bradford, who play in the fourth tier of English football, will now play Swansea City in the final at Wembley next month. They are the first fourth-tier club to reach the League Cup final since Rochdale in 1962.

Villa needed to win by two clear goals to go through, and took the lead on the night. But Bradford equalised with a header in the second half, meaning Villa needed two more goals. They scored one more, but could not find the goal that would have taken the tie to extra time.

A season of struggle

The defeat is another blow in a difficult first season for manager Paul Lambert, who was appointed last June after leading Norwich City from League One to the Premier League. He has been asked to build a younger, cheaper squad after years of heavy spending, and his side is one of the youngest in the Premier League.

The team's form has been poor in recent weeks. Just before Christmas, Villa lost 8-0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, the club's heaviest ever defeat in top-flight football. That was followed by home defeats to Tottenham Hotspur and Wigan Athletic, and the club are now close to the relegation zone.

Cup run

The League Cup had offered some relief. Villa beat Lambert's old club Norwich 4-1 at Carrow Road in the quarter-finals in December, and supporters had been dreaming of a trip to Wembley and a place in Europe, which goes to the winners.

Instead, the club will have to focus entirely on staying in the Premier League, which Villa have been part of since it began in 1992.

Pressure on Lambert

The defeat is certain to add to the pressure on Lambert, whose young side must now find a way out of trouble in the league.

Villa's league campaign continues this weekend, and many of their remaining games are against clubs also fighting to stay up.

Giant-killing

Bradford's run has captured the imagination of the country. On the way to the semi-final, Phil Parkinson's side knocked out three Premier League clubs, Wigan Athletic, Arsenal and now Aston Villa, as well as holding their nerve in penalty shoot-outs.

For Villa, a club that won the League Cup five times and the European Cup in 1982, losing to a side from the bottom division is a humbling moment. For Bradford, a club that has suffered relegations and financial troubles in recent years, it is a night to remember.