Bradford secured a 2:1 victory over Newcastle United U21 in the EFL Trophy Group North, third round fixture on Tuesday evening. The result moves the hosts up to second place in the group standings with six points from three matches.
Newcastle took the lead in the 42nd minute through Matheos Ferreira, capitalising on a moment of opportunity. The visitors held their advantage briefly before Bradford began to push for an equaliser.
And here's the thing about how this match unfolded — Bradford brought on three players at the 57th minute, and the change shifted the momentum. Nick Powell scored in the 59th minute to bring the hosts level, then added his second goal three minutes later to take the lead.
By then Newcastle were already searching for a response, but Bradford tightened things up. The visitors saw a player dismissed in the 90+3rd minute when Johnny Emerson received a red card, leaving them to see out the final moments with ten men.
The statistics tell a story of Bradford controlling the tempo without creating clear-cut chances. They registered 14 shots to Newcastle's six, yet both sides failed to create a big chance. Possession sat at 55% for the hosts, and they completed 349 passes compared to 270 for the visitors.
The result puts Bradford two points clear of Newcastle in the group table. The visitors remain third with just two points from three games, a gap that could prove significant as the group stage progresses.
Our prediction called for a home win with 72% confidence, and it came through. Bradford showed enough resilience to take all three points when it mattered.
