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Coventry City 0 - 2 Blackpool

PostPosted: Sat Jan 26, 2019 2:06 pm
by dutchman

Re: Coventry City 0 - 2 Blackpool

PostPosted: Sat Jan 26, 2019 6:40 pm
by dutchman
Nathan Delfouneso and Armand Gnanduillet sink Sky Blues

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Coventry City suffered more misery at the hands of Blackpool as the Tangerines completed a League One double over the sloppy Sky Blues.

City’s early season defeat at Bloomfield Road is regarded as the team’s worst performance of the season and while today’s display didn’t hit those desperate depths, the final result added more frustration to the side’s home form.

It was a remarkable game that saw Mark Robins’s men totally boss the opening 45 but fail to make their dominance count against a side that failed to create a single attempt on goal before the break.

But the visitors came out fighting in the second half, leaving City shell shocked with two goals in the space of the first six minutes when Nathan Delfouneso and Armand Gnanduillet found the back of the net with their first two chances of the afternoon.

City played some decent football just outside the opposition’s penalty box in the first half but struggled to break down a resilient looking back three.

Luke Thomas forced the Tangerines’ keeper into his first save of the game with a decent effort from just inside the area which was parried away to safety.

Bright Enobakhare was at the heart of City’s creativity, playing some delightful passes to help get his fellow forwards in behind while Dujon Sterling gave centre-back Nick Anderton a torrid time, so much so that the defender was substituted just after the half hour mark as the visitors looked to contain the full-back, switching to a flat back four.

A terrific three man move, sparked by Enobakhare, opened up a good chance for Conor Chaplin at the back post but the striker appeared in two minds whether to volley or head it and the ball bounced away from him.

City forced a second save before the break when the impressive Zain Westbrooke, in for the injured Tom Bayliss, nipped in to steal the ball and drove forward before hitting a shot that Christoffer Mafoumbi pushed wide at his near post.

The half-time stats read six shots for City, with just two on target, compared to none for the visitors who were absolutely woeful going forward in the opening 45, offering no threat whatsoever apart from a solitary corner.

A half-time team talk appeared to do the trick for the Tangerines, however, who came out and scored from a free-kick routine in the first minute of the restart.

The ball was floated in to the back post where it was headed back across the goal and forced over the line by former City loan man Nathan Delfouneso.

And six minutes later Blackpool doubled their lead when Dom Hyam was turned in the box by centre-forward Armand Gnanduillet, who had his back to goal but swivelled and picked his spot into the bottom corner.

Jordy Hiwula forced the keeper into two saves as City attempted to get themselves back in the game before Robins sent on the returning Amadou Bakayoko and Jonson Clarke-Harris to beef up his attack.

The latter sent two headers narrowly wide as City restored their dominance but, again, could find the killer touch that has evaded them all season.

The result comes as their fifth league defeat from 15 at the Ricoh Arena, having won only six on home soil so far this term.

Attendance: 9,786 (362 away)

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