Coventry beat high-flying Stoke to go five points clear

Fresh from their victory against Sheffield Wednesday, EFL Championship leaders Coventry City travelled away to Stoke in a bid to further extend their lead at the top of the table. There was plenty of reason to be cautious: their opponents had the second highest goal difference in the league going into the fixture, and were just two points behind the Sky Blues in the second automatic promotion slot.

From the first minute, the match was noticeably cagey. The Sky Blues were a shell of their usual free-flowing, attacking selves, having virtually no clear-cut chances throughout the game. Frank Lampard stated after the game, “It was crying out for that bit of extra skill or it would have petered out into a nil-nil.”

It seemed that the game was going to end in a draw until the 86th minute

Still, that is not to say that Coventry were completely locked out. Top-scorer Brandon Thomas-Asante called for a penalty early in the game, but referee John Busby denied it as Stoke defender Ben Wilmot’s contact was minimal at worst. Potters goalkeeper Viktor Johansson was also in top-form, stopping Danish midfielder Victor Torp from converting on two separate occasions, while Ashley Phillips blocked another of his efforts.

It seemed that the game was going to end in a draw until the 86th minute, when Ephron Mason-Clark scored a spectacular bicycle kick, sending the away fans into raptures and helping his team take all three points. Unfortunately, the goal of the season contender was bittersweet for the winger, who was forced off on a stretcher just moments after notching the winner.

Regardless, the no.10’s name hummed in the air for the rest of the night, as Stoke struggled in vain to rescue a result before full time. The final score came much to the dismay of former Coventry manager Mark Robins, who likely felt a point was deserved for his side from where he was sitting in the home dugout.

Some may say that Coventry fans can finally dare to dream

One has to feel some sympathy for Stoke City. After eight seasons of stagnation, the Potters have been displaying a fine brand of football under Robins this year. Home fans will have drawn plenty of optimism from the performances of Million Manhoef and Sorba Thomas, who spent the afternoon running circles around the Coventry midfield. On another day, the result could have been very different.

The Potters now slip to third, much to Coventry’s delight as the league leaders go five
points clear in the top-spot. With just over a third of the season completed, some may say that Coventry fans can finally dare to dream. Judging by the reaction at full time, Sky Blues fans are already well in the process of dreaming about a top-flight promotion after a 25-year drought.