Parkinson then led Bradford to another historic victory in the first leg of the League Cup semi-finals at Valley Parade, defeating Premier League Aston Villa 3–1 in front of 23,245 fans. Despite a 2–1 defeat in the second leg at Villa Park, Bradford won the tie 4–3 on aggregate to progress to the 2013 League Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. In the final, Bradford lost 5–0 to Premier League Swansea City. After the match, Parkinson criticised referee Kevin Friend for sending Matt Duke off, which resulted a penalty and described the match as "harsh".