Fulham 1 - 3 Coventry City

Latest team news, results, video clips, interviews and live coverage

Fulham 1 - 3 Coventry City

Postby dutchman » Sun Apr 10, 2022 5:44 pm

Sky Blues stun champions-elect at The Cottage

Image

Two goals in the space of four sensational minutes put Coventry City on course for a major upset against the Championship leaders at Craven Cottage.

Michael Rose headed the Sky Blues in front in the 20th minute before Viktor Gyokeres doubled the lead four minutes later in a superb 45 minutes that left Fulham shell-shocked.

In truth, Mark Robins’s men could have been further ahead after Ben Sheaf had two shots blocked from another set-piece while Simon Moore pulled off two decent saves at the other end to deny Fabio Carvalho and Aleksandar Mitrovic, before Kebano rattled the crossbar in an entertaining encounter in West London.

The Cottagers created chance after chance in a difficult second half when Moore pulled off more heroics to maintain City’s two-goal cushion past the hour mark. But the home side finally got one back from substitute Bobby De Cordova-Reid eight minutes from time to set up a nervous end to the contest that included four agonising minutes of added time.

But Callum O’Hare popped up with a dramatic stoppage time third to put the icing on the cake of a truly memorable afternoon.

The Sky Blues appeared content to play a game of containment as Fulham dominated possession and tried to force an early goal, but it was the visitors who had the first attempt from a Gus Hamer free-kick which the midfielder floated into the box where Jake Bidwell got a touch ahead of his markers. Sadly, however, the centre-back couldn’t direct it past goalkeeper Marek Rodak who dived to collect his tamely hit shot comfortably.

The home side then played themselves into trouble when centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo mis-controlled a back-pass, letting in Hamer who took too long to shoot and was forced to pull the ball back for Callum O’Hare, only for the ball to be intercepted.

City enjoyed more set-pieces with Dom Hyam heading over from a free kick before fellow centre-back Michael Rose glanced home an in-swinging corner from Hamer to give City an unexpected 20th minute lead.

Viktor Gyokeres then wriggled into space on the edge of the box and hit a powerful shot which Rodak got a hand to but fumbled as he fell back and watched it go over his head and into the back of the net

Aleksandar Mitrovic almost reduced the deficit on the half hour mark when he directed a powerful header at goal, only for Simon Moore to deny the striker his 39th goal of the season with a good reaction save.

City were then saved by the woodwork when Neeskens Kebano stretched to get o the end of a Neco Williams’ cross and send it onto the crossbar.

But the visitors were almost 3-0 up from a 40th minute corner when Ben Sheaf had two bites of the cherry, his first effort being blocked by Mitrovic before his second was stopped on the line by Williams.

Robins’s men went into the break with their tails up, knowing full well they had a tough second 45 to come. And the home side almost pulled one back within minutes of the restart when Mitrovic got a foot to a deep cross, only for his effort to sail wide.

But Coventry kept right in Fulham’s faces and used attack as the best form of defence whenever they could to keep the ball out of harm’s way and put even more pressure on the champions-elect.

Hamer intercepted a pass brilliantly to spark a counter attack, driving forward and hitting a low angled shot to the near post which the keeper saved.

The home side always looked a threat, however, and had City stretched on the hour when Carvalho headed narrowly wide before Williams was denied by a brilliant save from Moore before.

Harry Wilson then curled a free-kick from the edge of the box just over the bar before Moore came to the rescue again, this time diving full stretch to deny Williams from distance as City held on to their lead.

Coventry earned a little respite from the pressure when some good build-up play resulted in Ian Maatsen going close with a deflected shot that lifted over the bar for a corner.

City finally crumbled under the pressure, conceding in the 82nd minute when Cordova-Reid stuck home to the far post to set up a frantic end to the game with the visitors hanging on for grim death – Moore again coming to the rescue to deny substitute Muniz from point-blank range.

Hamer then nicked the ball in the final third and squared it across the face of goal for a simple tap-in for O’Hare to complete the job in the 93rd minute.

ATTENDANCE: 19,401

Image
User avatar
dutchman
Site Admin
 
Posts: 50286
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2009 1:24 am
Location: Spon End

Re: Fulham 1 - 3 Coventry City

Postby dutchman » Sun Apr 10, 2022 6:45 pm

Coventry stun runaway Championship leaders Fulham

Image

Coventry City shocked Championship leaders Fulham 3-1 at Craven Cottage to delay the home side's seemingly inevitable promotion to the Premier League.

Michael Rose and Viktor Gyokeres scored four minutes apart a quarter of the way through the game to give the away team a commanding lead.

Substitute Bobby Decordova-Reid's neat, left-foot finish set up a grandstand end to the game after the hosts had squandered a number of chances, with Rodrigo Muniz's deflected effort almost finding its way in to equalise.

Callum O'Hare tapped into an empty net following a howler from Fulham captain Tim Ream in added time to secure the points that moved Coventry up to 10th in the table, six points off a play-off place, while Fulham still need two wins to guarantee automatic promotion.

Coventry took the lead from a corner as Rose leaped highest to divert the ball past Marek Rodak in the Fulham net.

The Slovakian was picking the ball out of his net again four minutes later, and this time he was at fault as he let Gyokeres's long-range shot go through him for 2-0.

Fulham carved out their best chance of the first half when Neeskens Kebano met Neco Williams' cross on the volley, crashing his shot against the crossbar.

Coventry almost had the game won just before the interval but Fulham somehow managed to keep the ball out from a corner, blocking three shots before finally getting the ball away.

Marco Silva sent on Decordova-Reid at half-time in place of Nathaniel Chalobah to inject more pace into the attack and it almost had an instant impact, with Decordova-Reid's ball in turned narrowly wide by Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Harry Wilson fizzed a free-kick just over from a threatening position before chances for Williams and Mitrovic as the hosts cranked up the pressure.

Decordova-Reid pulled one back with eight minutes to play before Mitrovic sent two headers over.

And deep into added time Fulham's hard work was undone when O'Hare turned the ball home following Ream's mistake to kill any hopes of a late point for the hosts.

Fulham boss Marco Silva said:

"This afternoon they were more confident and better than us.

"I have to give praise to them, I know at this level it's tough [to win games].

"It wasn't our afternoon in terms of being clinical because we had six or seven chances to score, we lost this game because of mistakes."

Coventry boss Mark Robins said:

"It's the first time we've won away from home against one of the top 10 teams.

"We created a number of chances on the counter-attack and the position of our defenders against a top scorer (Mitrovic) who's the record holder in the Championship now was very good. The way we played was superb really."

On play-off hopes: "Until it's mathematically impossible, of course we have [to believe we can do it].

"We just try to play the best we can in any given game."

:bbc_sport_logo:
User avatar
dutchman
Site Admin
 
Posts: 50286
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2009 1:24 am
Location: Spon End


Return to Sky Blues

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests

  • Ads