Coventry City 1 - 0 Stoke City

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Coventry City 1 - 0 Stoke City

Postby dutchman » Tue Jan 25, 2022 11:41 pm

Gyokeres ends barren run in style as Sky Blues prosper

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Viktor Gyokeres ended his four month barren spell to fire Coventry City to a brilliant three points against Stoke City.

The Sky Blues striker drilled home a powerful effort in the 68th minute at the CBS Arena – his first in 15 games – as Mark Robins’s men leap-frogged the Potters in the Championship, recording their first win in five home games in the league.

Stoke took the initiative, getting at City from the first whistle and forcing two early corners in a clear statement of intent.

The visitors dominated the ball and got right in Coventry’s faces, not letting them settle for a second as they pressed and closed them down, hunting in packs.

The Sky Blues struggled to get their game going as the Potters were well on top, with Tom Ince getting the better of Kyle McFadzean and slipping the ball wide for a threatening cross that fizzed through a group of players and away from danger, while City got a string of blocks in to protect the keeper from a number of shots.

City’s first chance came in the 12th minute when Jake Bidwell played the ball down the left flank to Gyokeres who showed great strength to wriggle into the box and hit a low shot to the near post where the keeper dropped to make a save.

Jamie Allen raced in behind on the right minutes later and sent a square ball into the box, only for no-one to be there to get on the end of it.

Coventry were then handed a terrific chance on a plate in the 26th minute when centre-back James Chester over-hit a back pass to Phil Jagielka, with the ball falling to Gyokeres who pulled to the right of the defender and hit a powerful shot that was saved by a firm hand from Jack Bonham.

Josh Eccles, who was in the the injured Todd Kane, then raced through on the right flank and sent in a lovely early and low cross which the keeper managed to get down and get a hand to it ahead of Gyokeres who was there for a tap-in.

But Michael O’Neill’s side continued to edge the possession with 55 per cent, often forcing Coventry to sit worryingly deep.

Gus Hamer went agonisingly close when he sent in a lovely curling corner kick that was tipped over the bar by the alert Bonham as City enjoyed a positive spell of pressure to the break when Gyokeres had a shot blocked from Jamie Allen cross.

City continued to be in the ascendancy after the break , picking up where they had left off as Bidwell sent in a lovely ball to the box that just evaded Allen.

The No.8 then sent in a lovely ball from the right which Shipley connected with, only for a defender to deflect it over the bar for a corner, the resulting flag kick falling to Shipley who headed narrowly wide of the far post as Coventry went close again.

Robins’s men were now looking the most likely but were caught off-side a couple of times and were beginning to become more and more frustrated by Stoke’s organised defence as the night went on.

Callum O’Hare and Martyn Waghorn were thrown on just after the hour for Hamer and Shipley as the manager changed things up in search of the all elusive goal.

That came four minutes later in the 68th when Ben Sheaf played a neat pass to Gyokeres 20 yards out from goal and the striker steadied himself and unleashed a powerful shot with the outside of his boot to beat the keeper at his left-hand post.

Waghorn went close with a shot from range in the 76th minute but it curled just wide of the upright as City went in search of a second to secure the points.

The fans were nervous towards the end as Coventry sat deep and soaked up late pressure ahead of five long minutes of stoppage time.

ATTENDANCE: 16,860 (1,928 away)

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Re: Coventry City 1 - 0 Stoke City

Postby dutchman » Wed Jan 26, 2022 5:16 am

Gyokeres fires Sky Blues past Stoke

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Coventry City closed the gap to the Championship play-off places with a deserved win over a below-par Stoke City at the Coventry Building Society Arena.

Viktor Gyokeres hit the winner midway through the second half, looping a 20-yard shot into the bottom corner as the hosts took advantage of sloppy defending from the visitors.

Potters goalkeeper Jack Bonham denied Gyokeres three times in the first half, including a point-blank stop just before the break.

Coventry almost added a second when substitute Martyn Waghorn drove a long-range shot past the post, but they comfortably saw out late Stoke pressure.

Both sides went into the match within range of the play-off places, but without form, with Coventry managing only a second win in nine league matches and Stoke suffering a fourth defeat in five in the Championship.

The Potters had conceded only once in their five previous away trips, but had Bonham, and a wasteful attack, to thank for not falling to a heavier defeat.

As well as a hat-trick of saves from Sweden forward Gyokeres, the Stoke keeper also had to be alert to tip over Gustavo Hamer's corner as Coventry gradually upped the pressure in a goalless first half.

The momentum remained with the hosts after the break as Josh Eccles headed Hamer's corner just wide, and it finally took a mistake from the visitors to give Mark Robins' side the winner.

Trying to play out from the back, the visitors gave the ball away to Ben Sheaf who slid in Gyokeres to end a goal drought that had stretched back to early October.

O'Hare also fired a late chance wide, but Coventry easily held on to move up to ninth, four points off the play-off spots, while Stoke drop to 11th.

Coventry boss Mark Robins told BBC CWR:

"It was a very controlled performance, I thought we were really good.

"He (Gyokeres) needed it. You could see he was frustrated when he missed his first chance and it's difficult then when your confidence starts to go and you could see it.

"I just said to him 'don't worry your chance will come', and it came and he scored. Hopefully that's a big lesson for him and a big weight off his shoulders."

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