Familiar failings in front of goal as Peterborough United's cup dream dies at Bradford City

It was a familiar story too as Posh trailed within the first 15 minutes for a third consecutive game and then contrived to miss a host of chances across both halves of the match with the score at only 1-0.

The hosts took an aggressive approach and appeared to knock Posh off their stride in the early stages but across the course of the game, Savage’s side created enough chances to force an equaliser and change the course of the game.

Eventually, Posh’s profligacy cost them and, just after the hour mark, their other Achilles' heel kicked in and they couldn’t keep the ball out of the net, effectively ending the contest after falling 2-0 down.

The early high of the glorious victory of Leicester has now given to way to a four-game winless run with questions over the quality of players beginning to be asked again.

Posh were without top scorer Harry Leonard – the leading scorer in the country in Carabao Cup ties – because of suspension while central defender Tom O’Connor, central midfielder Liam Kelly and winger Bolu Shofowoke were replaced by Josh Feeney, Brandon Khela and Vernon Masara from the team that started at Bromley at the weekend.

Lucca Mendonca passed his late fitness test and started alongside Feeney at the back. Matt Garbett was one of nine substitutes as were Harrison Jones and Pat Sykut. Central defender David Okagbue was believed to be injured.

Posh were the victim of an early assault from the home side, a literal one, as five Bradford players were cautioned in the opening 34 minutes. All were absolute bankers for hacking down blue shirts or overly zealous tackles to prevent breakaways.

The young side looked as if they were more willing to run from the fight that towards it in the opening stages and weakened their starting position after just 13 minutes when conceding from a set-piece once again. Callum Connolly’s corner was missed by Bass and towering centre-half Macaulay Gillesphy was left all along at the back-post to tap it in.

The Posh ‘keeper was able to redeem himself with half an hour gone when he raced off his line to keep out a Bobby Pointon strike when he and Jake Beesley were sprinting away from Posh’s centre-backs and in on goal. From the resulting corner, Gillesphy put the ball in the net again at the backpost but Posh were bailed out by the referee’s whistle.

Such is Posh’s luck at the moment, Ethan Williams looked to have picked out the corner of the net, in the closing seconds of the half, but as the keeper leant in the opposite direction, the ball was blocked by the leg of Danny Ormerod.

It was not luck that denied Posh in the second half it was the recurring theme of not taking the chances on offer. Within the first five minutes of the restart, Owura Edwards had cut in from the left and seen a shot saved low at the near post, Vernon Masara had run straight into the arms of the keeper from a one-on-one and Ethan Williams had swiped at the ball as seen his effort deflected off the leg of a defender and onto the crossbar.

The hosts were under pressure but showed why these sides are at opposing ends of the League One table when they created a chance and took it with Adam Phillips climbing off the bench and firing into the roof of the net from the right of the box via a deflection off Lucca Mendonca.

As is the trademark with Savage’s side, they fought until the end but only found more frustration when Bolu Shofowoke fluffed his lines with a poor and weak effort that wasn’t even going to reach the goal when he was played in by Williams.

Posh: Alex Bass, Carl Johnston (sub James Dornelly, 57 mins), Lucca Mendonca, Josh Feeney, Harley Mills, Brandon Khela (sub Harrison Jones, 66 mins), Harry Ashfield (sub Matt Garbett, 57 mins), Vernon Masara (sub Bolu Shofowoke, 57 mins), Ethan Williams, Owura Edwards (sub Declan Frith, 68 mins), Danny Ormerod

Unused subs: Collin Andeng-Ndi, Evan Weir, Liam Kelly, Patryk Sykut.

Bradford: Jon McCracken, Reece Welch (sub Aden Baldwin, 53 mins), Ibou Touray, Macaulay Gilesphey, Callum Connolly, Corey O’Keefe (sub Kayden Jackson, 53 mins), Bobby Pointon (sub Will Swan, 61 mins), Matt Pennington, George Lapslie (sub Adam Phillips, 60 mins), Antoni Sarcevic (sub Kieran Morgan, 69 mins), Jake Beesley

Unused subs: Cameron Dawson, Hayden Matthews, George Pratt, Henry Cartwright.

Posh goals: None.

Bradford goals: Gillesphey (13 mins), Phillips (67 mins).

Posh cautions: Mendonca (foul), Mills (foul).

Bradford cautions: Gillesphey (foul), Welch (foul), Lapslie (foul), Pointon (foul), Connolly (foul), Morgan (dissent).

Referee: Thomas Kirk 7.

Attendance: 14,732 (1,087 Posh).