Solid Southampton ends Coventry's winning run
Coventry City's six-game winning run in the EFL Championship came to an end as Frank Lampard's side was defeated 2-1 by play-off hopeful Southampton at home.
Flynn Downes and Kuryu Matsuki scored for Southampton, which capitalised on Coventry's poor finishing at the other end to remain within three points of sixth-placed Wrexham, while Frank Lampard's side saw its lead at the top cut down to seven points.
Cyle Larin had the first clear chance in the ninth minute, firing wide on the turn after Coventry failed to clear its lines from a corner, as both sides were slow to find their rhythm at The Coventry Building Society Arena.
The hosts grew as the first half wore on, but they could not break the deadlock. Luke Woolfenden and Haji Wright both failed to test Daniel Peretz, who made an incredible save to deny Liam Kitching's glancing header.
Southampton's opener then came three minutes after the break. Carl Rushworth tipped Matsuki's cross on to the left post, but Downes reacted quickest to poke into the back of the net.
Wright sent a header from close range straight at Peretz just after the hour mark, but the visitors grabbed a second with five minutes to go as Matsuki, perhaps unknowingly, flicked the ball past Rushworth from James Bree's corner.
Victor Torp set up a nervy finish after winning and scoring a penalty in the second of seven additional minutes, and Southampton just about held on as Brandon Thomas-Asante struck at Peretz in the dying seconds.
"It's not easy to come here – they have lost only once at home all season," Saints boss Tonda Eckert said.
"Away from home you have some moments to overcome, but credit to the boys because they dug very deep and we had an excellent goalkeeper today.'
Lampard rued his side's profligacy in front of goal, but would have been happy to see both Middlesbrough and Millwall fail to take advantage of his side's defeat.
"On a statistical basis we shouldn't lose the game because we created enough big chances to score three or four goals – we had five big chances in the game," he noted.
"We're not happy with the goals we conceded. You can't get that wrong because you won't win games of football, and we weren't clinical at the top end.
"By our own standards, were we as good as we want to be? No, but that's football at this stage of the season, you just want to try to get a result. We gave everything and we have to go again."
