Bradford City 0 Manchester United 3
Teddy Sheringham was hero once again, providing the goal while broke the deadlock in United’s 3-0 victory over a gutsy Bradford City at Valley Parade today.
Sheringham’s goal was added to by Ryan Giggs and Luke Chadwick, in a scoreline which rather flattered the champions.
For 72 minutes City looked as if they would pull off one of the shocks of the season by holding the runaway leaders to a goalless draw at Valley Parade.
The longer the game continued without a goal as Sir Alex Ferguson's side spurned their chances, then the more it seemed as if rock-bottom Bradford would surprise not only United, but the entire nation.
Then out of the blue came the kind of goalkeeping gaffe which will be featured on soccer highlights reels for years to come as former United keeper Walsh committed one of football's cardinal sins.
There was no danger as Walsh, who made 64 appearances in his 10 years at Old Trafford before leaving five-and-a-half years ago, had time and space to clear the ball from his own area.
As Teddy Sheringham approached, Walsh started to dribble the ball away, but then inadvertently failed to even connect with his attempted clearance.
It allowed Sheringham to slot home his 17th goal of the season, one more than the entire Bradford team have managed this season, from the edge of the area.
And so arrived the game's turning point as Ryan Giggs added the second three minutes later, with the salt duly rubbed into Walsh's wounds as Luke Chadwick drove home the third to maintain United's 11-point lead.
The win was deserved because unsurprisingly, United created the more incisive first half chances as Bradford were forced into shooting from distance.
United were superbly marshalled at the back through Jaap Stam, the £10.75million stg Holland international back in the side for the first time in four months following an Achilles injury and lasting 65 minutes before being replaced by Wes Brown.
City boss Jim Jefferies chose an attacking 3-5-2 line-up, just as he did for Monday's 1-0 FA Cup defeat at home to Middlesbrough, with skipper Stuart McCall operating at right wing-back.
The veteran midfielder, however, was given a torrid time by Giggs who often surged from deep and should have been on the score sheet before the break.
The first significant attack of the match came in the fifth minute as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer teed up Sheringham, only for Sheringham to sidefoot his shot over the bar.
Minutes later and another long ball from the back, this time from Phil Neville, picked out Giggs for a knock on to Solskjaer. The Norway international managing to fire in a half-volley which took a slight deflection past the right-hand post.
Bradford, though, had not looked overawed or in fear to that point and came close to taking an audacious lead as Dean Windass spotted Fabian Barthez off his line.
Then in a moment reminiscent of Beckham's wonder goal from the halfway line against Wimbledon a few seasons ago, Windass drilled in a 45-yard shot from the edge of the centre circle which forced Barthez to furiously backpedal and tip the ball over the bar.
Walsh then showed his agility in producing a full-stretch save to deny Beckham before the chances then dried up in the second half as Bradford grew in confidence.
But that was shattered by Walsh's mistake, with Giggs firing home underneath the 31-year-old, and then sub Chadwick scoring his first league goal for United four minutes from time.
That defeat came in front of Bradford's biggest league crowd for 44 years of 20,551, although thousands had already flooded out of the ground by that stage fearing that this would be the last time they would watch United for some time to come. -PA