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No fairytale as dominant Swansea hammer Bradford

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(Photo by Mark Tatem)Swansea's Ashley Williams and Nahki Wells tussle for an aerial ball during the League Cup final.

By Colin Thompson in London, EnglandBradford City 0 Swansea 5Bradford City’s Nahki Wells cut a forlorn figure as he trudged off the pitch in the League Cup final.Wells has been one of the brightest sparks in the Bantams team this term, but like the rest of his teammates, he saw very little of the ball as the determination, resolve and luck that swept Bradford City to the final eluded them when it mattered most at Wembley Stadium.The Bantams were simply out of their depth against a well-drilled Swansea side that controlled the match from start to finish with an attractive, possessive brand of football backed up by some clinical finishing.Man of the match Nathan Dyer and Jonathan De Guzman both netted braces while Michu also got in on the scoring act for a Swansea side that probably never had it so easy before.Adding insult to injury, Bradford goalkeeper Matt Duke was sent for an early shower after being shown straight red for a late tackle on Dutchman Guzman to deny the midfielder a clear goal scoring opportunity.After a furious exchange with teammate Dyer over who should take the penalty, designated penalty taker Guzman duly dispatched his spotkick past substitute goalie Jon McLaughlin who replaced Bradford’s Bermudian striker Nahki Wells as Bantams manager Phil Parkinson was forced to make a sacrifice.Bradford’s fans sang their favourite Wells tune to try and spur their striker on. But on the day the task was just too much for Wells who cut a lone figure in attack as his teammates were forced to defend at the other end for the entire match.Such was Swansea’s dominance, Bradford’s first corner-kick of the game arrived in the 86th minute and their only shot of the match a minute later when midfielder Gary Jones shot tamely into the arms of Swans keeper Gerhard Tremmel.Nonetheless, Jones’ weak effort brought laud applause from the 30,000-plus Bantams fans seated at the western end of the stadium who stood by their team to the bitter end.En route to the final Wells and his Bradford teammates claimed the prized scalps of Premier trio Wigan, Arsenal and Aston Villa.But there would be no story book ending at Wembley as the Swans ripped Parkinson’s team apart with surgical precision to secure a first major trophy in the club’s 101-year history.Swansea’s margin of victory was also the widest in the final, surpassing Manchester United’s 4-0 win against Wigan in 2006.Bradford were forced to chase the game after Swansea’s pacy midfielder Dyer gave the Premier side the lead in the 16th minute when he squeezed in a shot at the back post from an acute angle after Bantams keeper Duke parried Michu’s effort into his path.Any thoughts the Bantams had of getting to the half trailing by a single goal were then cruelly dashed in the 40th minute as Spanish midfielder Michu created space for himself in the box and beat Duke with a low drive through the legs of defender Carl McHugh to double his team’s lead.Dyer then killed the game off with his second two minutes into the second-half when he linked up with fellow midfielder Wayne Routledge before ruthlessly smashing the ball past Duke.At this point it was no longer a matter if Swansea would win but rather by how many.Guzman extended Swansea’s lead to four when he converted from the penalty spot in the 59th minute after Duke paid the price for a desperate late lounge at the Dutchman and then grabbed a second and his team’s fifth after scrambling the ball across the line from close range in stoppage time to put Bradford out of their misery.Bradford: Matt Duke, Stephen Darby, James Hanson, Garry Thompson (Z Hines, 73rd), Will Atkinson, Carl McHugh, Gary Jones (capt), Nahki Wells (J McLaughlin, 57th), Rory McArdle, Nathan Doyle, Curtis Good (A Davies, 46th).Sent off: DukeSwansea: Gerhard Tremmel, Ashley Williams (capt), Ki Sung — Yeung (G Monk, 62nd), Angel Rangel, Ben Davies (D Tiendalli, 84th), Jonathan De Guzman, Wayne Routledge, Nathan Dyer (R Lamah, 77th), Leon Britton, Pablo Hernandez, Michu.Goals: Dyer, 16, 47 Guzman 59, 90, Michu 40Booked: Sung-YeungMan of the match: Dyer (Swansea)Referee: Kevin FriendAttendance: 82,597

(Photo by Mark Tatem)Nahki Wells (left) and Swansea's Michu compete for the ball.