West Ham United 5, Bradford City 4; Richard Sutcliffe reports from Upton Park.

Controversy, nine goals, silky skills, theatrical tantrums and high drama - this was a game which had everything apart from a happy ending for Bradford City.

In recent years Bantams fans have been put through the emotional wringer with nail-biting ends to three of the last four seasons, and the current campaign looks like being no different.

But even City don't usually manage to put their fans through the wide range of emotions they had to experience in just 90 minutes at Upton Park.

City went into the game having failed to score away from home for 363 minutes. Add to that the fact they were playing a West Ham side who had lost just once at home all season - against Manchester United - and the size of the task became apparent.

So when Dean Windass stunned West Ham by taking the lead after half-an-hour, the euphoria in the away enclosure was understandable.

Two quick West Ham goals changed that only for Peter Bea-grie's first half stoppage-time penalty to again lift spirits.

Jamie Lawrence's four-minute double after the break then put the Bantams fans into dreamland, celebrating what looked like being a third successive victory.

Unfortunately the Hammers proved irrepressible in the final 25 minutes and netted three times to break City's hearts and leave Paul Jewell's men in the bottom three.

Both sets of fans rose to give the sides a fully deserved standing ovation, but the dejected look on the City players' faces said it all.

Boss Jewell said: "To score four away from home and lose tells its own story. I think we made a few wrong decisions and got punished for them.

"I think it was there for everyone to see that we are not a bad side, but if we feel sorry for ourselves we are in trouble.

"We have to take positives out of negatives and we held our own in a great game."

That is certainly the case because this thriller proved City are capable of transporting their fine home form.

City started the game well, and with both Lawrence and Bea-grie tucked in either side of central midfield, West Ham struggled to make any impact.

The home side suffered a bad break - literally - when goalkeeper Shaka Hislop broke his leg and had to be replaced by rookie Stephen Bywater after just four minutes. The 18-year-old was making his debut and City put pressure on the teenager immediately.

City closed the keeper down as quickly as they could which undermined his confidence as he miscued several clearances.

The Bantams took the lead thanks to a fantastic corner from Beagrie which was headed into the net by Windass for his fifth league goal of the season.

It was a deserved lead because City's hard-working midfield had gained the upper hand, only the talented Joe Cole offering much resistance.

But goals from Trevor Sinclair and John Moncur quickly transformed the game, and only a last-gasp penalty by Beagrie brought City level at half-time.

The consensus of opinion during the interval was that Bea-grie's strike meant we were in for a cracking second half, and that was certainly the case.

Lawrence got proceedings off to a fine start with a predatory strike after Bywater had fumbled Gunnar Halle's swerving shot after 47 minutes.

Four minutes later, Lawrence produced City's best goal of the season with a wonderful turn and curled shot which Bywater could only touch at full stretch as it flew high into the net.

After going so long without an away goal, City had grabbed four in just 21 minutes, and soon after Dean Saunders had a great chance to seal all three points only to unluckily hit the post.

The Welsh striker's opening was played out to amazing scenes at the other end of the field.

Di Canio has the ability to be either a genius or a clown, and against City he managed to be both.

The temperamental Italian had already had two penalty appeals turned down when he went crashing to the ground in the 57th minute.

Referee Neale Barry waved play on and as Saunders broke away at the other end, Di Canio signalled to the West Ham bench he wanted to come off.

After Harry Redknapp re-fused, Di Canio amazingly squatted on the halfway line while holding his head as play continued round him for a full minute.

The Hammers boss said: "He was upset. He had been denied two penalties which I am sure would have been given to anybody else.

"There was no chance of me taking him off. What a player he is, what a footballer! But sometimes you have to ignore him because his emotions go crazy!"

And so it proved with Di Canio finally converting the penalty he longed for before strikes from Cole, who on this showing will answer England's problems in midfield, and Frank Lampard broke City's hearts.

Losing a two-goal lead away from home leaves any side open to criticism. But although City defended far too deeply in the final 20 minutes or so, I doubt any side would have been able to stop Cole, Di Canio and Lam-pard on this form.

Despite the defeat, City must take heart from an unforgettable game which moved Red-knapp to say: "Full credit to Bradford because they had a real go at us.

"They work hard and I would like to see them stay up. I don't care where you go, you won't see better football than that. It was fantastic."

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