Coventry City 1 - 0 Cardiff City
Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2021 11:35 pm
The Sky Blues extended their 100 per cent record at the CBS Arena with a brilliant performance against the Bluebirds
Viktor Gyokeres scored his fourth goal of the season to hand Coventry City their fourth consecutive Championship victory at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
The Sky Blues centre-forward showed great strength to give two defenders the slip before hitting a brilliant early finish to beat the Cardiff City keeper early in the first half of an outstanding team performance.
The only dampener on the night was a late straight red card for Fankaty Dabo for a lunge on Marlon Pack.
The game started at a frantic pace with end to end action, Cardiff enjoying the benefit of some long throws and an early corner into the box while the Sky Blues looked sharp going forward, attacking at pace and with plenty of intricate passages of play.
Simon Moore got a firm hand to deny a close range header from big Bluebirds’ danger man Kieffer Moore early on while Gus Hamer slammed a free-kick into the wall from the edge of the box at the other end.
But Coventry grabbed the early lead when Jamie Allen raced upfield with the ball after City had dealt with another Cardiff throw-in in their own half, the midfielder slipping it inside to Callum O’Hare who sent a superb through ball for Gyokeres.
The big Swedish striker showed great strength to squeeze between two defenders and hit his shot early and low to the bottom corner to beat Dillon Phillips with a brilliant finish on 15 minutes.
The goal sparked a determined spell of pressure from the big and physical visitors who continued to throw long balls into the box to test City’s defensive resolve.
Chances were few and far between form Robins’s men to the break when they enjoyed a decent corner, from which defender Dom Hyam stretched to get his head on the end, albeit unable to direct it on target.
The second half started the same as the first, at a high tempo and with both sides going at it in search of goals and with Waghorn teeing up O’Hare for an early chance, only for the midfielder’s shot to be denied by a decent save.
Cardiff’s best chance of the game so far came on 52 minutes when Joel Bagan got on the end of a cross into the box but headed over the bar.
The Sky Blues continued to push for a second while hanging onto their slender lead. And despite Cardiff not creating too many openings or clear cut chances, the home side still looked vulnerable at times when defending balls into the box.
Robins made his first change of the evening when he replaced wing-back Ian Maatsen with deadline day signing Todd Kane midway through the second period, and the former QPR man earned himself an early booking for a tasty foul within minutes of being on the field.
Coventry-born James Collins, meanwhile, whom Robins tried to sign in the summer, missed a sitter when he had all the goal to aim at from an Perry Ng centre but headed over.
City continued to push for a second goal, urged on every step of the way by the fans who were in superb voice in another terrific atmosphere at the CBS Arena, willing their team on.
The home side saw out a nerve shredding final three minutes of added time during which Dabo was sent off for a tackle on Pack deep in Coventry's the final third when they were on the attack.