Gyokeres seals win at BlackpoolComing up against a newly-promoted side in Blackpool, it was a night where Coventry City’s Championship quality truly shone through on the Lancashire coast.
In one of the most one-sided halves of football City fans are likely to enjoy this season, Viktor Gyokeres gave Mark Robins’ team a more-than-deserved lead with his second goal of the season on the stroke of half-time.
The goal wasn’t without controversy. Blackpool fans booed as City celebrated, believing the Sweden international had handled the ball into the net, after keeper Chris Maxwell had parried Fankaty Dabo’s perfectly-weighted cross on to the onrushing striker, though replays suggested that the ball actually came off Gyokeres’ face.
City dominated the chances, but Blackpool went close late on through Tyreece John-Jules, who fired the cut-back cross over the bar in added time, to make it a dramatic finish for the Sky Blues.
They started brightly under the floodlights at Bloomfield Road, fashioning the first chance of the game on 5 minutes, as Callum O’Hare played a through ball to Gyokores only for his low shot to be thwarted by Maxwell.
The Tangerines looked to have been gifted an early chance as Jake Clarke-Salter, on his first City start, stretched for a loose ball and allowed Josh Bowler through on goal.
However, the defence recovered quickly, with captain Kyle McFadzean making the vital block. With City dominating possession and the tempo of the game, the team responded quickly as Gyokeres was once again put through one-on-one, on the left side of the box, only for his shot to strike the outside of the post on 13 minutes.
Despite being reduced to counter-attacks, Blackpool still carried a threat on the break and Shayne Lavery demonstrated the knife-edge that the game was perched upon, as he squeezed his shot narrowly wide of Simon Moore’s goal from a low cross.
At the centre of everything City did well early on, O’Hare twisted and turned in the box, evading the flailing legs of defenders, before sending another shot as the Sky Blues ramped up the pressure.
Coventry’s relentless pace continued, with crosses and blocked shots peppering the Blackpool defence, as McFadzean saw his near post shot snatched away by Maxwell on the half-hour mark.
The home side did carve out a couple of chances as the interval neared. Lavery curled his shot from the left, wide of the far post, before the Irishman was denied again on 44 minutes after Simon Moore rushed to close down the striker and make a crucial stop.
Backed by the travelling Sky Blue Army, Gyokeres and O’Hare continued to torment the Tangerine defence after the break. The targetman kept his markers at arms-length, harrying the backline, while the fan-proclaimed ‘Solihull Messi’ went on another mazy run before sending his shot wide.
Although, with the home crowd also getting behind Neil Critchley’s men, Blackpool wouldn’t go quietly. Lavery again forced Moore into action with a smart stop, before Keshi Anderson called upon City’s keeper with a low drive on the hour mark.
Despite producing another dynamic performance in the Sky Blues midfield, Gus Hamer will still be wondering how he failed to double the side’s lead as he raced clear on 63 minutes, before seeing his far-corner finish inch wide of the target.
Blackpool began to put Coventry under pressure as the game entered the final stages, but City’s defence continued to stand tall. Though Coventry hearts were briefly in mouths as Lavery made full connection with a near-post header but could only direct it over the crossbar.