Championship
Coventry breaks Boro hearts in six-goal thriller
Two goals in a minute saw Coventry City open a 10-point gap at the top of the EFL Championship after it broke Middlesbrough hearts to win 4-2 late-on in their clash at The Riverside.… Show More
Two goals in a minute saw Coventry City open a 10-point gap at the top of the EFL Championship after it broke Middlesbrough hearts to win 4-2 late-on in their clash at The Riverside.
Ellis Simms and centre-half Liam Kitching scored inside the first 15 minutes to put City ahead but just after the half-hour, Morgan Whittaker halved the deficit and nine minutes into the second half, Bobby Thomas put through his own net to level the scores and heighten the tension.
With Adi Viveash still in interim charge and new head coach Kim Hellberg watching from the stands, it was an impressive fightback from Boro, but just as the match looked headed for a thrilling draw, City stunned the home side with two late goals.
Tommy Conway had missed a clear chance to put Boro ahead, which proved costly as Kitching in the 85th minute and Simms a minute later sealed a 10th victory in its past 11 matches for Frank Lampard's side,
Defeat saw Boro slip to third, below Stoke City on goal difference after the Potters thrashed Charlton Athletic 3-0.
"There were lots of factors that made this a tough match for us tonight," Lampard said after the match.
"They started the game well, but we were so clinical. We looked a big threat in our counter-attacking in the first half and we created some big chances beyond the goals.
"But they're a good team and they caused us problems and we changed in the second half to counter that and I thought we were outstanding in the last 20 minutes.
"When games go from 2-0 to 2-2, we've all seen that story before and how it pans out.
"Momentum is with the other team but we gripped the game back.
"The changes probably helped, but the players – they owned that today."
Coventry has now scored 47 goals in the league, nearly 20 more than the next best – Ipswich Town and Hull City are next best with 28 goals each.
It means even if Stoke or Boro, or any other side, does claw back the distance to Lampard's rampant leader, it will have to do so by scoring heavily, as Coventry now has a positive goal difference of 30.
"You can't concede four goals in any Championship game, never mind against a side as ruthless and attacking as they are," Boro's interim boss Viveash said.
"I'm bitterly disappointed, as the players are – as the fans and everybody with a Middlesbrough connection will be."
