AFC Bournemouth 2-2 Coventry City: Todd Kane's injury-time equaliser denies Cherries top spot

Matty Godden scores for Coventry against Bournemouth.Image source, Rex Features
Image caption,

Matty Godden scored his seventh Championship goal of the season to halve Coventry's deficit at Bournemouth

Coventry scored twice in a thrilling finale to prevent 10-man Bournemouth moving back to the top of the Championship.

Leaders Fulham's draw at Preston earlier on Saturday opened the door for the Cherries and they looked set to take full advantage at 2-0 up with only five minutes remaining.

There was a degree of luck about Jaidon Anthony's opener on the stroke of half-time as his cross evaded everyone to find the far corner but he put in a fine centre for Philip Billing to prod home the second.

However, last man Jefferson Lerma received a straight red card for pulling down Sky Blues striker Matty Godden, who pulled one back 17 minutes later by firing home a loose ball in the box.

Todd Kane equalised with a lofted cross-shot over Mark Travers in the fifth minute of added time to keep the Sky Blues fifth, while Bournemouth remain second, a point behind the Cottagers.

With promotion rivals Fulham and West Bromwich Albion both drawing, the damage caused by the Cherries' late collapse appears minimal but they will consider it two points dropped.

They controlled a drab first half, Lewis Cook forcing a save from Simon Moore and Ryan Christie drilling just wide from 30 yards, before Anthony's slice of fortune broke the deadlock.

Billing's guided volley, on his return from a one-match suspension, seemed to have put the game out of Coventry's reach while he also hit the side netting after rounding Moore moments before.

The Cherries were ultimately punished for not making enough of their second-half superiority both before and immediately after Lerma's dismissal for tripping Godden as he bore down on goal.

Following the red card, Bournemouth's 15-goal top scorer Dominic Solanke was denied one-on-one by Moore and saw a header cleared off the line by Kyle McFadzean on the Coventry defender's 100th appearance for the club.

Those moments proved pivotal as Godden hooked home after Travers parried a Liam Kelly cross and Kane, in similar fashion to Anthony's opener, looped a fortunate finish over the keeper from out wide.

Bournemouth - who visit Fulham in a top-of-the-table game on Friday - have now won only one of their past five, while Coventry recorded a third successive draw to remain in the mix for a play-off position.

Bournemouth boss Scott Parker to BBC Radio Solent:

"It's a hard one, a painful one. I've been involved in a few in my time in terms of disappointments and football has a habit sometimes of kicking you where you don't want to be kicked.

"I'm devastated for the players first and foremost because I thought the game was everything we wanted it to be before the sending-off really - we were dominant, controlled the game in every aspect, in possession and out.

"I thought we nullified them and were clinical in our moments and then the sending-off changes the game a little bit. It looked a sending-off, maybe Steve Cook was coming around [to cover], I'm not too sure.

"We were so dominant. We have got an injury crisis here with a lot of players missing and that's why I'm devastated for the players because I thought they were outstanding and we looked every bit a top team. We deserved to win that game. If that game stays with 11 men, it's a comfortable victory for us."

Sky Blues manager Mark Robins to BBC Coventry & Warwickshire:

"In the end it was a brilliant point after going two goals down - and the goals we conceded weren't great but we were playing against a top team, they are outstanding.

"We had to work really hard in the first half to try to keep them at bay and we had scant reward in terms of our attacking play although we still created two or three really good opportunities.

"To go a goal down right on half-time was disappointing but in terms of our effort, work-rate and tactical nous, it was all there.

"There's no doubt about it - the sending-off has aided us in terms of being able to get on the front foot but we were calm. We were chasing the game but we weren't launching it, we were still playing our way in and we showed great bravery and good nous."

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