Macaulay Gillesphey is congratulated by his Bradford City team-mates after giving the Bantams the lead against Peterborough UnitedImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Macaulay Gillesphey celebrates scoring for Bradford City

ByDavid Anderson
BBC Sport England

Macaulay Gillesphey and Adam Phillips were on target as Bradford City beat Peterborough United to reach the Carabao Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 2013.

Gillesphey volleyed home in the first half to add to his goal when the League One sides last met at the Mbanq Valley Parade in August before Phillips sealed Bradford's place in the competition's last eight.

The clean sheet meant the Bantams have still not conceded a goal since manager Michael Duff took charge five games ago.

Peterborough, who were without suspended Harry Leonard, the competition's top scorer, had their moments either side of half-time and Ethan Williams hit the post.

Bradford took the lead on 13 minutes when Peterborough failed to deal with Callum Connolly's whipped-in corner and Gillesphey volleyed home from close range at the back post.

Gillesphey had a second disallowed for a foul and the Bantams were also denied when Posh goalkeeper Alex Bass came out quickly to save Bobby Pointon's shot with his chest.

Despite being second best, Robbie Savage's Peterborough might have levelled in first-half stoppage time when Williams' goalbound shot hit team-mate Danny Ormerod.

Jon McCracken twice rescued Bradford when he saved smartly from Owura Edwards at his near post before denying Vernon Masara when the Posh striker was through one-on-one.

Peterborough went agonisingly close to an equaliser when Williams' shot cannoned off Bradford's Matthew Pennington and hit the post.

The home side weathered the pressure and sealed victory in the 67th minute when Phillips atoned for two earlier fluffed chances by firing home from Jake Beesley's pass, with the help of a deflection off unlucky Posh defender Lucca Mendonca.

'We had enough chances to win four games' - reaction

Bradford manager Michael Duff told BBC Radio Leeds:

"It was chaotic. I wasn't particularly happy with the first half. In saying that, we had enough chances to win four games today.

"We had two good goals disallowed, two one-on-ones, which won't even get counted as chances because Adam [Phillips] overran them, while Bobby Pointon also had a one-on-one.

"Two goals, lots of positives, but there were a few things in the first half I didn't like, but we managed to get out of it by scoring from a set-play goal."

Figure caption,

Duff: 'It was becoming a basketball game'

Peterborough manager Robbie Savage told BBC Radio Cambridge:

"I feel devastated. You can't come here and create so many chances, the big moments.

"The first goal, that's our own doing, and the second, the same. They've had a couple of one-on-ones, but let's be fair, they were heavy touches.

"At the time of the second goal, we were so much on top, even in the first half. They were on the ropes. We knew it, everybody knew it and the crowd knew it because they were quiet.

"But you cannot get into the positions like we were doing again and again and again and not take those opportunities. The end product is just incredible, and anybody at the game would have seen that."

Figure caption,

Robbie Savage : 'We have to learn'

Player of the match

Number: 5 M. Gillesphey
Average rating 8.31
Number: 5 M. Gillesphey
Average Rating: 8.31
Number: 21 J. McCracken
Average Rating: 8.30
Number: 6 C. Connolly
Average Rating: 8.12
Number: 3 I. Touray
Average Rating: 7.96
Number: 9 J. Beesley
Average Rating: 7.96
Number: 28 M. Pennington
Average Rating: 7.92
Number: 24 W. Swan
Average Rating: 7.82
Number: 10 A. Sarcevic
Average Rating: 7.63
Number: 8 A. Phillips
Average Rating: 7.45
Number: 27 C. O'Keeffe
Average Rating: 7.43
Number: 19 K. Jackson
Average Rating: 7.40
Number: 15 A. Baldwin
Average Rating: 7.33
Number: 23 B. Pointon
Average Rating: 7.21
Number: 32 G. Lapslie
Average Rating: 7.20
Number: 2 R. Welch
Average Rating: 7.15
Number: 22 K. Morgan
Average Rating: 7.06

After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.

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