Coventry City 2-0 West Bromwich Albion: Sky Blues take significant step towards the play-offs
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Coventry City and West Bromwich Albion at the Coventry Building Society Arena on Good Friday; The hosts took a huge step in the race for the play-off places with a 2-0 victory
Coventry took a huge step in the race for the Sky Bet Championship play-off places after beating 10-player West Brom 2-0 in front of a record-breaking crowd at the CBS Arena.
Jack Rudoni and Matt Grimes scored either side of half-time to put Frank Lampard’s men three points clear of seventh-placed Middlesbrough, who beat lowly Plymouth 2-1.
West Brom, who saw Callum Styles sent off moments after Grimes had netted the second, dropped to eighth in the table and sit six points behind the sixth-placed Sky Blues with three games to play.
Coventry had to wait 96 minutes for their winner over Portsmouth in their last home outing but were up and running after just six minutes when Rudoni slammed Haji Wright’s deflected cross past an unsighted Josh Griffiths.
The Sky Blues caused problems down the left throughout the first half, and Wright forced Griffiths into a save shortly after when he cut inside and fired at goal.
Liam Kitching could have doubled the lead when his close-range header was kept out by Griffiths.
After the break, Griffiths scrambled across his goal to claw away Jay Dasilva’s goal-bound cross.
Tony Mowbray, who managed Coventry for 18 months between 2015 and 2016, had made two changes at the break and it was one of his introductions who handed Coventry the second.
John Swift was caught dawdling inside his own box and Grimes took full advantage by nipping in and calmly slotting into the corner to the delight of over 31,000 in attendance at the CBS Arena.
Sakamoto could have increased Coventry’s lead even further when his shot was blocked following Wright’s square ball after a mazy run into the Baggies box.
Mowbray’s men, who are without a win on the road since victory at Hull in mid-November, offered little in reply albeit Will Lankshear went close when he got on the end of Mikey Johnston’s inswinging cross.
Swift could have atoned for his error but blasted his effort way over Brad Collins’ crossbar in the Coventry goal, while former Sky Blues loanee Adam Armstrong saw his effort disallowed by the offside flag.
