Coventry City moved out of the Premier League relegation zone after securing a convincing 3-1 victory over Sunderland at the Coventry Building Society Arena on Saturday, leaving the visitors rooted to the bottom of the table.
Tatsuhiro Sakamoto opened the scoring for Frank Lampard’s side in the 17th minute before Nigerian striker Taiwo Awoniyi doubled their advantage eight minutes before half-time.
Jack Rudoni extended Coventry’s lead seven minutes into the second half, putting the hosts firmly in control after another defensive lapse from Sunderland.
The visitors pulled one back in the 67th minute through Enzo Le Fée, who converted a penalty after Ethan Pinnock was penalised for handling Luke O’Nien’s effort.
However, Sunderland failed to complete a comeback and finished the encounter with 10 men after Omar Alderete received a second yellow card in the ninth minute of stoppage time.
The victory was particularly important for Coventry, who had lost 1-0 at home to Fulham in their previous league outing.
The result also ended their struggles in front of goal, having failed to score in five of their previous eight matches.
Sunderland, meanwhile, endured another disappointing afternoon as their poor league form continued.
Despite enjoying better fortunes in cup competitions, Regis Le Bris’ side have managed just five points from nine Premier League matches.
Their away record has also remained a major concern, with only one point collected from five matches on the road this season.
Coventry will take confidence from the victory as they seek to maintain their momentum, while Sunderland face increasing pressure to improve their performances and escape the foot of the table.
