FA Cup Fourth Round: Southampton 2 - 1 Coventry City

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FA Cup Fourth Round: Southampton 2 - 1 Coventry City

Postby dutchman » Sat Feb 05, 2022 6:58 pm

Gyokeres scores as brilliant Sky Blues take tie to extra-time

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A cruel deflection knocked Coventry City out of the FA Cup after a valiant display as the Sky Blues took Premier League Southampton to extra-time at St Mary’s.

Viktor Gyokeres gave Mark Robins’s men the first half lead, which they thoroughly deserved and should really have had two or three more after Ian Maatsen twice went close and Josh Eccles forced the keeper to save.

And those missed opportunities came back to haunt them when half-time substitute Stuart Armstrong found the top corner to pull his side back on level terms just after the hour, before the game went to extra-time.

Kyle Walker-Peters then secured the home win in the second period of extra-time when City went agonisingly close to an equaliser when Martyn Waghonr had a goal disallowed for off-side in a thrilling end to the tie.

City, who more than matched the Premier League side, went on the attack from the first minute with Gus Hamer playing Gyokeres down the left and the big striker cut into the box past Jack Stephens and played a threatening ball into the six yard area where a Saints defender cleared.

Josh Eccles then drove forward into the box and hit a low shot which forced Willy Caballero to dive low and push out for a corner in a confident start from the Sky Blues.

The home side, meanwhile, enjoyed a couple of early corners, the second of which was played shot resulting in Theo Walcott hitting a good shot that looked to be heading in until Simon Moore made an impressive reaction save to deny the former England star.

Thierry Small, meanwhile, forced his own keeper into a save on 16 minutes when he Jake Bidwell sent a cross into the box and instead of sending a cushioned header back to Caballero the youngster, on his debut, sent a powerful connection to force the veteran stopper to react.

The visitors then got themselves in front with a deserved goal when Ben Sheaf combined brilliantly with Gyokeres in the box, the pair playing a one/two before the Swede found space and hit a low clinical finish past the keeper.

Saints suffered an injury blow on the half hour when Lyanco had to go off with what looked like a hamstring strain, replaced by forward Nathan Redmond as the home side switched to a back four.

City had two corners in quick succession as they continued to look the brighter of the two sides, with the second cleared as far as the D from where Ian Maatsen hit a first time volley that fizzed inches over the bar.

The Chelsea loan man then missed a golden opportunity to increase the lead when O’Hare played a sublime touch to send Eccles down the wing as Coventry carved open their Premier League opponents again. The young wing-back pulled the ball back to Maatsen who had time to control and shoot, only for his shot to fly just wide of the keeper’s left-hand post.

Sheaf was dispossessed on the edge of the box on the stroke of half-time, allowing Redmond to get a shot away but the forward sent his effort straight down Moore’s throat for a comfortable save.

Ralph Hasenhuttl made two changes at the break, pulling off former Sky Blues loan star Adam Armstrong for Stuart Armstrong, while replacing youngster Thierry Small with Kyle Walker-Peters.

Coventry came under pressure as the home side attempted a fight-back but still looked threatening on the counter attack, which they did at pace to stretch their top flight opponents.

But the home side’s pressure finally paid off, albeit a 25-yard wonder strike to the top corner getting them back on level terms just after the hour when substitute Armstrong curled a shot in with the outside of his boot.

Robins responded by making three changes shortly after, sending on Martyn Waghorn, Jamie Allen and Todd Kane for Bidwell, Hamer and Eccles, and striker Waghorn almost restored City’s lead within minutes of being on the field.

The alert front man nipped in on a poor Valery back-pass but his low shot was blocked by the keeper before he had two bites of the cherry from a ball into the box, the first blocked and the second going over the bar.

Jodi Jones was thrown on for O’Hare with a minute to go ahead of four minutes for stoppages before the game went to extra-time.

Armando Broja showed his strength to power past Clarke-Salter but hit the side netting while Moore made a comfortable save from a Shane Long header as Saints threatened in the first half of overtime.

The game remained level at the halfway stage of the extra-time, but Saints scored when Walker-Peters hit a cruelly deflected shot that beat Moore and crept in at the far post on 112 minutes.

Clarke-Salter had a great chance to restore parity minutes later when he had a free header from a free-kick, but directed the ball straight to the keeper, while Waghorn had a late goal disallowed for off-side in a thrilling end to the game in which the Sky Blues did themselves proud, pushing Saints every step of the way.

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