Bradford manager Graham Alexander admits his side were made to work hard to beat rock-bottom Sutton but felt they fully deserved the three points.
Calum Kavanagh’s second-half strike proved enough for League Two play-off hopefuls Braford to claim a third successive win in testing conditions at Valley Parade.
Alexander said: “It was a difficult match against a difficult opponent. We’ve seen that from a couple of their previous results.
“Wrexham were made to work exceptionally hard to win against them during the week and we’ve had to do the same again today.
“We deserved to win 100 per cent. We had the better opportunities and should have scored in the first half and we defended the pressure they put on extremely well.”
Bradford’s clean sheet was their fifth in a row in all competitions as they prepare for their Bristol Street Motors Trophy semi-final against Wycombe in midweek.
Alexander added: “We’ve got to give ourselves a base where we’re not chasing. That’s what we’ve been guilty of, certainly at Valley Parade.
“We’ve gone all at it right from minute one and the opposition has got a goal early, piling more pressure on us and making it even more difficult for us to get going as an attacking force.
“Having a bit more control over ourselves in the first 15-20 minutes has helped us settle into a game and not given the opposition anything to build from.
“We know we have players that have those quality moments to score.”
Andy Cook had missed two good chances for Bradford before Kavanagh’s confident finish broke the deadlock in the 54th minute after being played clear by Clarke Oduor.
Bradford keeper Sam Walker played his part in the win with saves from Harry Smith and substitute Olly Sanderson, leaving Sutton manager Steve Morison still looking for his first win after nine games in charge.
Morison said: “I’m really frustrated. I thought our attitude and application were spot on but they put the ball in the back of the net and we didn’t.
“We played some good stuff, created some good chances but the keeper has made a couple of good saves. That was the difference.
“The only plus point we take out of it was that Grimsby lost 5-1 and nothing’s really changed. We’re still trying to catch them and that’s what we’re focused on.
“We tried to get the win but it wasn’t meant to be. We did everything we could, we worked hard, prepared as best we could but they got the moment on the counter and took it.
“The first half was pretty even and then we conceded the goal off the back of us having one cleared off the line.
“We should have been leading but we were losing. The players are still scrapping and fighting for the football club and each other.”
No Neymar return until 2025, says Al-Hilal boss Jesus
Neymar will not return from his anterior cruciate ligament injury until January 2025 at the earliest, Al-Hilal boss Jorge Jesus has warned.
Neymar left Paris Saint-Germain for Al-Hilal in a €90million deal in August 2023, becoming one of the faces of the Saudi Pro League's major recruitment drive.
However, he only played five matches for the club before rupturing his ACL while on international duty with Brazil last October.
The 32-year-old subsequently missed the remainder of the season as well as the Selecao's ill-fated Copa America campaign, and he remains some way away from a return.
Neymar was removed from Al-Hilal's Saudi Pro League squad in September, with the 19-time champions only able to register a maximum of eight foreign players for the first half of the season.
Reports had suggested Neymar was close to a return after Al-Hilal posted footage of him training on social media, but Jesus says Brazil's all-time leading scorer must wait until the halfway point of the campaign before being considered.
"Neymar is an important player for Al Hilal and the league in general," Jesus told reporters on Tuesday.
"I can't, however, specify a date as to when he will return, but we will look at the situation in January."
With no restrictions on foreign players featuring in the AFC Champions League, Neymar could, in theory, play in that competition if he returns to fitness before January.
Al-Bukayriyah 0-1 Al-Hilal: Leonardo sends defending King's Cup champions through
Marcos Leonardo's first-half penalty was enough to book Al-Hilal a spot in the King's Cup round of 16 with a 1-0 win over Al-Bukayriyah.
The defending champions dominated from the start, with Abdullah Al Hamddan and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic both seeing early efforts saved by Dziugas Bartkus.
Al Hamddan then won the game-winning spot-kick in the 40th minute, being brought down in the box by Ibrahim Al Sunaytan, and Leonardo made no mistake from 12 yards.
Al-Hilal kept pushing for another goal, with substitutes Renan Lodi and Aleksandar Mitrovic both testing Bartkus in the second half, but they could not add to the scoreline.
Neymar, who is gearing up for his return to action after a year on the sidelines, was not involved for Al-Hilal, who lead the way in the Saudi Pro League.
Data Debrief: Leonardo proves the difference
Al-Hilal were dominant in the first half, completely overwhelming their opponents as they had 12 of their 17 shots before the break, getting five of those on target.
But across the 90 minutes, it was Leonardo who was the standout, having the second-most shots (three) and accumulating 0.82 expected goals (xG).
His only shot on target may have been the winning penalty, but he proved a handful as he also had the most touches in the opposition box (10).
Al-Bukayriyah 0-1 Al-Hilal: Leonardo sends defending King Cup champions through
Marcos Leonardo's first-half penalty was enough to book Al-Hilal a spot in the King Cup round of 16 with a 1-0 win over Al-Bukayriyah.
The defending champions dominated from the start, with Abdullah Al Hamddan and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic both seeing early efforts saved by Dziugas Bartkus.
Al Hamddan then won the game-winning spot-kick in the 40th minute, being brought down in the box by Ibrahim Al Sunaytan, and Leonardo made no mistake from 12 yards.
Al-Hilal kept pushing for another goal, with substitutes Renan Lodi and Aleksandar Mitrovic both testing Bartkus in the second half, but they could not add to the scoreline.
Neymar, who is gearing up for his return to action after a year on the sidelines, was not involved for Al-Hilal, who lead the way in the Saudi Pro League.
Data Debrief: Leonardo proves the difference
Al-Hilal were dominant in the first half, completely overwhelming their opponents as they had 12 of their 17 shots before the break, getting five of those on target.
But across the 90 minutes, it was Leonardo who was the standout, having the second-most shots (three) and accumulating 0.82 expected goals (xG).
His only shot on target may have been the winning penalty, but he proved a handful as he also had the most touches in the opposition box (10).
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