Coventry regained top spot in the Championship with a 3-1 win over Middlesbrough thanks to a hat-trick from Hadji Wright.
After four months at the top of the table, they fell from the top of the table last Monday night, but Frank Lampard’s side responded admirably to see off an in-form Boro and trail their promotion rivals by a point.
More importantly, the Sky Blues are six points behind third-placed Millwall and eight points behind fourth-placed Ipswich, with the latter having two games in hand.
It was arguably the most comprehensive defeat for Middlesbrough so far in his tenure, although it marks the end of a six-game winning streak under manager Kim Helberg.
Coventry return to form and let star players shine
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Wright converted Jack Rudoni’s cross to put Coventry ahead.
The night didn’t start out so spectacularly for Wright. Less than two minutes into the game, a great chance to give Coventry the lead was missed when his header hit the post.
However, in the 21st minute Jack Redoni’s cross was recovered past Sol Bryn, and in the 52nd minute Karl Rushworth’s long upfield punt beat the Boro goalkeeper again.
Boro responded in the 67th minute with a powerful shot from Riley McGree after the ball fell into a path in the box. However, any tension that may have been building at CBS Arena was dispelled just 17 seconds after the restart when Matt Targett handled a cross inside the box.
It was up to Wright to step up again, but he converted the penalty into the bottom corner to seal a vital win for Coventry as they look to qualify for the Premier League.
Lampard: “That was a big moment for us”
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Manager Frank Lampard has warned against celebrating the win too much and suggested Coventry need to focus on correcting their away form.
Coventry manager Frank Lampard said on Sky Sports:
“It’s a great performance from the players. They’re a good team, which is why we’ve been able to do what we’ve done recently. We practiced off the ball all week. We wanted to press and be very high up, and the players followed that up really well.”
“In the second half, we got more into the block and gave them problems, which was a big thing for us tonight.
“It was really a team performance. The effort, the tactical discipline, the way we played off the ball, that’s what we’ve been working on all week. We felt it was important to bring that back to our game.”
“If you are interrogated, score a hat trick!”
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Haji Wright scores a hat-trick for Coventry from the penalty spot
Sky Sports’ Clinton Morrison:
“It was an unbelievable performance, there was a lot of pressure on Coventry going into tonight.
“We talked beforehand about the strikers struggling, but Wright was outstanding. That’s the best way to react. When you’re talking about not scoring goals, go get a hat-trick.”
“They were great from the get-go. It was a big three points, which they fully deserved.”
“It was a great night for Wright.”
Andy Hinchcliffe of Sky Sports:
“It was a great night for him, a great hat-trick. It was a composed finish. He didn’t let the early missed chances affect him. He showed incredible mental strength.”
“It was all about Coventry, they had different approaches in each half and they both worked. I think the hat-trick was a credit to Wright, but Coventry – as a person – were outstanding.”
“They deservedly won the game and got back into the lead. It was a big psychological boost for them.”
Helberg is frustrated but says Boro will be back in the promotion race
Middlesbrough manager Kim Helberg said on Sky Sports:
“In the first half, they were a little bit better than us. We don’t break out with the ball, they can get into duels, we don’t bring the ball forward when we have a chance, so a lot of duels happen and they get out in some duels.”
“We got off to a great start in the second half, but we conceded a goal out of nowhere, making it 2-0. We continued to play some good football at 2-1, but right after that we were given a penalty, so it was a little tough.
“We need to improve some things. We should have moved the ball forward more in the first half. We invited too many duels and with the home crowd and other things, we could do with a little more ball.”
“We didn’t have many chances, but they scored one goal and the goal in the second half was a bad situation for us.
“It’s a long road (in the promotion race). We’ve got 14 games left and I think there’s going to be a lot of ups and downs. We know that and we talked about it in the dressing room. Let’s go again.”
