21 April 2021

Coventry move closer to safety after beating Stoke

21 April 2021

Substitutes Maxime Biamou and Viktor Gyokeres were on target as Coventry took a huge stride towards Championship safety with a 3-2 success at Stoke

The Sky Blues were twice pegged back by the home side but it was Gyokeres who netted the clincher in the 78th minute.

Earlier, Tyler Walker gave the visitors a half-time lead but Jacob Brown equalised with a powerful drive.

Biamou came off the bench to make it 2-1 but it lasted barely two minutes as Sam Clucas fired back.

Gyokeres made the difference to record a third straight win for Coventry, while Stoke are now four without a victory.

After a slow start the visitors were first to threaten, when Sam McCallum got to the byline only for Stoke keeper Angus Gunn to knock his low cross to safety.

Soon after Gunn spilled a simple cross and appeared to have tripped Matt Godden as he attempted to gather the loose ball. Referee Oliver Langford waved play on and Gustavo Hamer’s shot hit the already-grounded keeper and bounced clear.

Gunn clawed a curling Hamer free-kick away from the top corner as the Sky Blues continued to press, but they lost Liam Kelly to injury before the half-hour mark after he bravely stopped Brown from tapping in a Tommy Smith cross, clattering into a post as he slid.

In the 33rd minute a brilliant save from Coventry keeper Ben Wilson denied Connor Taylor, on for the injured James Chester, a debut goal.

Coventry edged ahead just before the break when Callum O’Hare advanced before squaring for Walker who calmly lifted over the diving Gunn.

Stoke’s first goal in almost five hours of football was a beauty. It arrived after 58 minutes when Hamer lost the ball on the edge of his own box and Brown lashed a ferocious shot into the top corner.

The Sky Blues almost responded instantly when Hamer scooped the ball over the defence and Walker forced a good reflex save from Gunn.

Substitute Steven Fletcher, whose introduction had vastly improved Stoke, clipped the bar with a header but Coventry restored their lead after 68 minutes.

Leo Ostigard flicked on a long throw and Biamou was on hand to touch in at the far post two minutes after he had entered the fray.

It was short-lived, though, as the hosts went straight down the other end and Clucas lashed a brilliant volley home after arriving onto a Smith cross.

The drama continued when Gyokeres sent an angled drive skidding past Gunn, who might have done better, to make it 3-2 to Coventry.

Fletcher’s header from a Clucas free-kick was parried by Wilson at point-blank range as Stoke tried to salvage a point.

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