The Sky Blues secured a superb 2-0 victory over promotion chasing BrentfordTwo goals from Tyler Walker secured a magnificent back to basics Coventry City victory over second from top Brentford.
The Sky Blues took the lead from a first half penalty and increased their advantage after the break with a clinical finish from the striker to help record a huge three points for Mark Robins’s men.
City experienced some early set-piece pressure from the Bees who won a second minute corner which required the outstanding Kyle McFadzean to clear off the line with his head from a near post flick-on, on a day when the visitors were without the Championship’s leading scorer Ivan Toney.
But Coventry quickly settled into the game and started asking questions at the other end where Callum O’Hare found space to hit a decent shot from outside the box to sting the goalkeeper’s hands.
The Sky Blues contained their second placed opponents well in the first 20 minutes and looked the more likely to break the deadlock in a tight and scrappy game.
And that breakthrough came on 18 minutes after Max Biamou first tested the keeper with a powerful effort that the striker followed up on the loose ball and was promptly brought down on the edge of the box by left-back Rico Henry.
The linesman flagged to indicate the foul and referee Stephen Martin pointed to the spot, leaving Walker to give City the lead with a low strike to the keeper’s left.
David Raya then kept the Bees in the game with a brilliant near post save to deny O’Hare as Coventry looked to increase their advantage with some determined attacking play.
Brentford threatened from a string of corners to test City’s defensive resolve around the half-hour mark and the home side took their narrow lead into the break ahead of a huge second half at St Andrew’s.
Mark Robins’s men were on the front foot from the re-start when Gus Hamer played a neat one/two with O’Hare to break into the box where he fired into the side netting from a tight angle.
And O’Hare was the provider once again in the 55th minute when he slipped a square ball to Walker who turned smartly in the box and picked his spot low into the bottom corner to increase the lead.
Brentford boss Thomas Frank responded by making three changes before Matty James and Viktor Gyokeres replaced the outstanding Kelly and Biamou who had understandably tired.
The Bees were forced into a fourth change just after the hour when star full-back Rico Henry limped off with a hamstring strain as the visitors attempted a fight-back with Mathias Jensen denied by a good save from Ben Wilson before Henrik Dalsgaard fired across the face of goal.
More changes saw Josh Pask and Amadou Bakayoko go on for Dacosta and the fading Walker, while Ben Sheaf replaced Hamer as City looked to see the game out.