Reading outclassed 10-man Bradford in their FA Cup quarter-final replay to set up a Wembley semi-final date against holders Arsenal.
The two sides shared a goalless draw in the original tie at Valley Parade but Reading were the better side in yesterday’s replay, sealing a comfortable 3-0 win to reach their first semi-final since 1927.
Bradford have made a name for themselves as giant killers in recent years but they could not work their way back into this game and will now return to fighting for promotion from League One.
Hal Robson-Kanu’s header put the Royals in front with the game’s first chance and the impressive Garath McCleary saw a shot deflected in on nine minutes.
Any hope the Bantams had of completing a comeback was made more difficult when Felipe Morais was shown a straight red card for a high foot on Nathaniel Chalobah just after the hour-mark.
And it was Chalobah who set up the third Reading goal as he fed Jamie Mackie who hammered home a third for the hosts.
’Pool fly high
Jordan Henderson’s fluke second-half goal kept Liverpool firmly in contention for a Premier League top-four finish with a 1-0 win at Swansea City yesterday.
Liverpool got lucky on 68 minutes when Jordi Amat slid in to clear and the ball ricocheted back off Henderson and looped over Swansea goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.
Victory took in-form Liverpool to within two points of Manchester United in fourth place.
Since losing to United at Old Trafford in mid-December, Brendan Rodgers’s side have won 10 and drawn three in the league.
P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
Chelsea | 28 | 19 | 7 | 2 | 58 | 23 | 64 |
Man. City | 29 | 17 | 7 | 5 | 59 | 28 | 58 |
Arsenal | 29 | 17 | 6 | 6 | 56 | 30 | 57 |
Man. United | 29 | 16 | 8 | 5 | 50 | 26 | 56 |
Liverpool | 29 | 16 | 6 | 7 | 43 | 30 | 54 |
S’thampton | 29 | 15 | 5 | 9 | 40 | 21 | 50 |
Tottenham | 29 | 15 | 5 | 9 | 46 | 42 | 50 |
Stoke City | 29 | 12 | 6 | 11 | 33 | 35 | 42 |
Swansea | 29 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 33 | 38 | 40 |
West Ham | 29 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 39 | 37 | 39 |
Newcastle | 28 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 32 | 43 | 35 |
C. Palace | 29 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 34 | 40 | 33 |
West Brom | 29 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 27 | 36 | 33 |
Everton | 29 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 36 | 41 | 31 |
Hull City | 29 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 26 | 37 | 28 |
Aston Villa | 29 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 19 | 38 | 28 |
Sunderland | 29 | 4 | 14 | 11 | 23 | 43 | 26 |
Burnley | 29 | 5 | 10 | 14 | 26 | 47 | 25 |
QPR | 29 | 6 | 4 | 19 | 30 | 52 | 22 |
Leicester | 28 | 4 | 7 | 17 | 24 | 44 | 19 |