Brewers bring Sky Blues unbeaten home run to an end
BURTON Albion sent out a statement of intent to League One with a superb 2-0 win over automatic promotion rivals Coventy City at the Ricoh Arena.
Second half goals from Calum Butcher and Stuart Beavon secured a famous, and deserved, victory against one of the strongest outfits in the division.
The Brewers made two changes to the side that beat Blackpool 1-0 a fortnight prior, with Anthony O'Connor replacing the suspended Robbie Weir in defensive midfield and Calum Butcher coming in for Lucas Akins.
Coventry dominated possession in the first half, with James Maddison and Adam Armstrong central to everything for the hosts going forward.
But the Brewers got forward well too and Stuart Beavon felt he should have had a penalty in the ninth minute when his route into the box was quickly halted as Sam Ricketts blocked him off.
Premier League referee Andre Marriner was unmoved.
Aside from a few free kicks which Jon McLaughlin claimed, City did not seriously threaten until 19 minutes when Jacob Murphy struck from distance, but the Brewers keeper held it well.
A minute later, Maddison sent a superb through ball to Armstrong, which the on-loan Newcastle United striker pulled back at the byline for Murphy. The winger could not quite reach the ball, half-heartedly appealing for a penalty for a push as the ball was cleared.
Maddison struck a right-footed free kick from the D at goal in the 25th minute, but McLaughlin dived across well to claim.
Albion came back into it, with Phil Edwards forcing a fine reflex save from Nasser El Khayati's cross on 27 minutes, before John Mousinho headed a Mark Duffy free kick just over the bar.
McLaughlin pulled off another superb stop to add to his collection, when Maddison created space for himself 25 yards out and drove a powerful right-footed effort at goal. The Albion stopper just got across to tip it over the bar.
Both sides set their stall out to attack in the second half, and it was the Brewers who would break the deadlock on the 49th minute.
Having built up an attack, Duffy clipped a cross into the box toward the left edge of the six-yard box, which evaded every yellow-and-black shirt. Right-back Aaron Phillips chested the ball back to Reice Charles-Cook in goal, but Butcher was alert to it.
He intercepted the ball back with one touch and with his second, rifled a ball to the top-right corner, with Charles-Cook getting a hand to it.
That persuaded Tony Mowbray to send his side forward with intent, and both Maddison and Murphy rifled efforts at goal from 25 yards in the following minutes, the first trudging wide and the second held by McLaughlin.
But on 56 minutes, Beavon rattled the crossbar from a neat through ball by Duffy, reacting quickly to a free kick being awarded. Beavon's shot from a tight angle, to the right of the six yard box, beat Charles-Cook but hit the underside of the bar and bounced clear.
Ruben Lameiras headed wide from a free kick after 68 minutes before Maddison curled one of his own well over the crossbar.
And in the 72nd minute, Beavon made it 2-0. From an identical position to his earlier chance which hit the bar, Beavon put the same power on it but this time, found the roof of the net from Anthony O'Connor's hooked ball forward.
Joe Cole was brought on for the Sky Blues as they sought to get the ball forward, come what may, and Armstrong was continuing to cause problems to the defence but not to McLaughlin, who held another tame effort from 20 yards well.
Albion saw out the game superbly, keeping hold of possession rather than cede it as they had earlier, and the Brewers held on for a famous victory on a cold afternoon in the West Midlands.
Attendance: 17,140 (1,542 away)
Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2016 3:39 pm