Reading will face Arsenal at Wembley next month after the Championship side ruthlessly ended Bradford's romantic FA Cup run last night.
The League One giantkillers had slain Chelsea at Stamford Bridge after coming from two goals down and then shocked Sunderland to reach the quarter-finals.
But after Steve Clarke's side scored twice in the opening 12 minutes, there was no fairytale sequel for Phil Parkinson's cup specialists as Reading coasted into the last four for the first time since 1927.
The result was sealed by Jamie Mackie's 68th-minute strike which caused even the dour Clarke to jump wildly around the technical area in celebration.
It will also be a first Wembley appearance for the Scot as a manager after he out-foxed the younger manager last night with his side showing a mix of pace and power belying their 17 position in the second flight.
Arsenal might be relieved to avoid Bradford next month, especially as they lost to the eventual finalists in the Capital One Cup in December 2012.
By contrast, the Gunners have won all 12 competitive fixtures against Reading stretching back to their first meeting in this competition in 1935. Their last cup meeting was in the Capital One Cup in October 2012 when Arsenal won 7-5 at the Madjeski Stadium.
Monday night's tie had no such drama – even if there was more quality than in the goalless first game. The BBC cameras definitely came to the Bradford party too late.
Clarke made 11 changes from the side which lost at Watford on Saturday and his new team looked fresh and strong in contrast to the visitors.
After only six minutes, Hal Robson-Kanu rose above Bantams captain Stephen Darby to head home Garath McCleary's corner for his third FA Cup goal of the campaign.
And three minutes later, Jamaican McCleary cut in from the right and his shot deflected off Andy Halliday to loop over helpless keeper Ben Williams for his first goal of the season.
It was unhappy homecoming for Parkinson, who spent 11 years at Reading as a player. He made six changes to his side from the weekend but the diamond formation saw his side exposed down the flanks and they had to rely on long balls up to the strikers.
Portuguese midfielder Felipe Morais saw red after 62 minutes for a waist-high tackle on Nathaniel Chalobah. But the Reading midfielder got up to send through Mackie for the goal to end the contest six minutes later.
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Teams
Reading: Federici; Gunter, Hector, Pearce, Obita; Williams, Chalobah; McCleary, Mackie, Robson-Kanu; Pogrebnyak.
Subs: Norwood, Cox, Yakubu, Karacan, Blackman, Andersen, Cooper.
Bradford: Williams; Darby, McArdle, Sheehan, Meredith; Liddle, Morais, Knott, Halliday; Hanson, Stead.
Subs: Dolan, Clarke, Zoko, Yeates, MacKenzie, Routis, Urwin.
Referee: Mike Jones (Cheshire)
