Coventry City 2 - 0 Wigan Athletic
Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2022 5:59 am
Sky Blues leave it late as Hamer and Gyokeres secure win
Gustavo Hamer set Coventry City on course for their third successive Championship victory as Mark Robins’ men moved into the top half of the table for the first time this season.
The Sky Blues struggled to break down a battling Wigan Athletic and finally found their way through a scrappy game at the CBS Arena in the 77th minute when the brilliant midfielder scored from outside the box.
And Viktor Gyokeres secured the full three points deep in stoppage time with a brilliant break-away goal and calm finish to send the fans home happy.
City started on the front foot from the first whistle, knocking the ball about nicely and building attack after attack but it was the visitors who created the first attempt when they launched a counter attack that resulted in James McClean having a shot blocked in the box.
The Wigan forward then had another effort when he cut inside Josh Eccles and saw his shot deflected out for a corner, which Charlie Wyke headed wide. Athletic went close again in the 14th minute when Will Keane got on the end of a Max Power free-kick and headed onto the bar, albeit the goal wouldn’t have counted as the player was ruled off-side.
For all City’s nice football going forward, the visitors continued to look the more likely as they enjoyed another flag kick from which McClean fired wide at the near post in what was becoming an increasingly frustrating half.
Coventry’s flair players were closely marked and they were arguably trying to be over elaborate with their first time flicks and tricks which failed to come off in an increasingly scrappy affair at the CBS Arena.
Kasey Palmer had the best chance of the half just before the break when he was played into the box, pulled wide of his marker but his shot took a last second deflection off Edmonds-Green and flew the wrong side of the post.
City had a lot more purpose about themselves at the start of the second half when they upped their shot count and forced four corners in the first ten minutes after the restart when they still couldn’t break down a battling Latics’ defence.
Mark Robins made a double substitution midway through the second period, sending on Jamie Allen and Tyler Walker for Palmer and O’Hare, and switching to two strikers up top in a bid to find a way through.
The breakthrough finally came in the 77th minute when Sheaf fed Hamer just outside the box, leaving the brilliant midfielder to take a touch to create space and unleash a shot that took a wicked deflection off centre-back Jack Whatmough to wrong foot his keeper and hit the back of the net.
City then found themselves defending with their lives as Athletic launched a late fight-back which went into six minutes of added time. But a long clearance from Eccles was controlled by Gyokeres near the halfway line and the striker turned and got away from two defenders as he raced 50 yards up the pitch to score with a lovely finish to secure the points in style.
ATTENDANCE: 17,227 (624 away)