Coventry City 0 - 2 West Bromwich Albion

[dutchman]

Corberan's Baggies ease to derby win at Coventry



West Bromwich Albion climbed back into the Championship top six as they scored a goal in each half to deservedly win a Midlands derby against lacklustre Coventry City.

Grady Diangana put the Baggies ahead on 17 minutes when he slid home from close range after Coventry keeper Ben Wilson parried the ball to him.

Matt Phillips then brilliantly set up Brandon Thomas-Asante for a superb second goal as Albion went route one to finish off the hosts.

Coventry striker Haji Wright had earlier wasted a great chance to equalise when through on goal, but there was nothing else left in the tank from the Sky Blues as they slid to a third straight league defeat.

It leaves Mark Robins' side still 20th, although only eight points behind fifth-placed Albion in a table that remains as tight as ever at this level.

Albion made two changes from last Tuesday's 2-0 home win over Queens Park Rangers, but defender Cedric Kipre was surprisingly named in the starting XI.

Boss Carlos Corberan said he had expected Kipre to be out "for months" after limping off late on against QPR, but scans gave him the all clear.

Albion's alterations came further up the pitch, with Pipa coming in at right wing-back for Darnell Furlong and Alex Mowatt recalled in a tactical reshuffle that led to Thomas-Asante starting on the bench.

City boss Mark Robins, by way of contrast, made five changes from the 2-0 defeat at Rotherham, bringing back Bobby Thomas and Liam Kitching in defence and restoring Jamie Allen, Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and Haji Wright further forward.

Although they had marginally the better of the first half, it did not quite click for the Sky Blues in front of goal.

Sakamoto had a powerful shot beaten away by Palmer before Coventry were out of luck with a penalty shout for handball.

Albion then stunned the hosts by taking the lead when Coventry goalkeeper Ben Wilson spilled Nathaniel Chalobah's shot - and Diangana was on hand to find the back of the net.

He now has goals in successive games, having not previously scored since February's win against Coventry at The Hawthorns.

Despite a lot of possession in and around the Baggies box, City had nothing to show for it.

They did have one glorious chance on 51 minutes when USA striker Wright went clear, only to fire the wrong side of the post.

But the three points were sealed on 69 minutes when Phillips delivered a stunning ball down the left flank with the outside of his right foot to send Thomas-Asante clear, down the inside-left channel and Wilson was left rooted to the spot as he delivered a superb finish with his right instep.

The striker appeared to time his run to perfection, despite suggestions he might have been offside, as the flag stayed down.

Coventry now face a daunting trip to Preston on Saturday to play their bogey side, who they have not beaten in a run of 19 league meetings, stretching back to September 2007.

Coventry City manager Mark Robins told BBC CWR:

"There's no other way out of it than sticking together and not lose belief. I'm experienced to know that sometimes this is what happens in football. And I've told the players not to get too down.

"The supporters were brilliant. We just have to get through this. If I start to panic about the results, then we will have a problem.

"We've given them the opportunity to score. That's got to stop. But we created really good chances and we have to take more opportunities to shoot. That is down to the confidence of the players, but it will come."