08/01/2000 Bradford 1 Chelsea 1 Chelsea will probably look back on the draw at Valley Parade as the result which finally ended their Premiership title hopes. With the majority of their top-flight challengers involved in the FA Cup this weekend - and with Manchester United in Brazil for the World Club Championships - this was a chance to close the gap at the top. But, despite 36 shots on or near the City goal, Gianluca Vialli's side could muster only a point after Bradford had made a lightning start with a goal inside the opening minute. This game will go down as one of the best of the season as the entertainment flowed from first whistle to last - and there wasn't even a single booking. The opening 45 minutes was a remarkable, never-to-be-forgetten half of football which started with a bang and refused to let up in its intensity. The goal on 59 seconds was simply crafted as Robbie Blake played a ball out wide right to Dean Saunders, who had been booed by the Chelsea fans when his name was announced before kick-off. Blues supporters have never forgiven the Welsh international for the challenge which ended the career of Paul Elliott eight years ago in the days when Saunders was with Liverpool. His cross to Lee Mills gave those same fans even more ammunition to barrack him. It was a pin-point delivery which allowed the City forward to bury a towering header into the bottom-right corner beyond Ed de Goey. The goal ended Bradford's three-game goal drought after a dismal Christmas and new year, as well as Mills' own personal five-match barren spell. But what then followed was wave after wave of Chelsea attacks, with the Bantams box resembling the Alamo and goalkeeper Matt Clarke passing for Davy Crockett as he supplied the heroics. But unlike at Coventry on Tuesday night - when Vialli's side twice hit back within a minute of the Sky Blues taking the lead to snatch a point - there was to be no immediate response. There should have been, though when ironically it was a Clarke mistake just three minutes after the goal which gave Chelsea their best chance of a half at the end of which the shot count was 19-8 in favour of the visitors - with 11 on target. Clarke came and missed his punch on a Dennis Wise corner, with John Terry bundling the ball goalwards only for Gunnar Halle to hack off the line. It was then all Chelsea, or to be more precise all Tore Andre Flo as chance followed chance for the Norwegian international. But for him it was just one of those days. Flo saw Clarke pull off three superb saves in a 20-minute spell in which he also drilled shots both wide right and left of the Bradford goal as Chelsea carved open the Bantams at will. Their flowing football was a joy to watch at times as City were turned inside out until it looked as if they didn't know whether they were coming or going. But there was simply no reward that the Blues' play deserved, and at one point - as they committed men to attack - there was even the chance they would concede a second. After Mills had looked to add to his tally with two chances - one saved by de Goey and the other fired wide - Bradford showed they could also play an incisive game. Neil Redfearn played in Halle down the right wing, with the Norwegian full-back then brilliantly cutting inside Celestine Babayaro, playing his final game before linking up with Nigeria in the African Nations' Cup. Halle then produced a curling left-foot shot which was bound for the bottom right corner until Dutchman de Goey arguably produced the save of the game as he flung himself full stretch to his right to tip the ball away. It was a brief purple patch for City as Chelsea's dominance soon held sway again, and they even pumped a few high balls into the box in the hope of finally breaking Bradford's resistance. Clarke, however, was proving the decisive factor as another stop right on the goalline from a Flo header and a block from Didier Deschamps saw out the half to thunderous approval from the City faithful. To Chelsea's credit they could have emerged for the second half with heads down, but despite Gustavo Poyet wasting three chances they finally made the breakthrough in the 57th minute. Ultimately it was a Redfearn mistake which cost Bradford, along with the decisive substitution of Roberto Di Matteo for Wise just seconds beforehand. The Italian was quick to seize on Redfearn's error and to play in a through ball for Dan Petrescu, with the Romanian then lifting his shot over the on-rushing Clarke for his fourth of the season. The entertainment never dipped at any stage over the next 30 minutes as both sides had their opportunities to take the three points. The best of those fell Bradford's way 10 minutes from time when Mills looked set for his second, but de Goey made another vital save. Bradford did have the ball in the back of the net again five minutes from time when Redfearn looked as if he was to atone for his costly mistake. But his header was ruled out for offside, denying City the three points they needed to lift themselves out of the relegation zone. This, though, was still a point they can relish with pride. Chelsea, meanwhile, now face a London derby at home to Spurs on Wednesday as they play their second game in hand on the leaders - whom they now trail by 12 points.