Millwall 0-3 Coventry City: Sky Blues get first win in seven games
- Published
- comments
A dominant Coventry City side won for the first time in seven games as they beat Millwall 3-0 in the Championship.
Matt Godden's close-range header opened the scoring in an end-to-end first half which lacked incisive finishing.
Tatsuhiro Sakamoto passed the ball in to become the Sky Blues' first ever Japanese goalscorer, before Ben Sheaf tapped home from a corner late on.
Defeat at The Den in Joe Edwards' first home game as Millwall boss resulted in his side slipping three places to 18th in the table, with Coventry remaining 20th.
Millwall had more possession early on, but Coventry created the first clear chance when Haji Wright raced through on goal, only for Lions goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski to make a smart reaction save.
Moments later, Sky Blues midfielder Jamie Allen's audacious volley whistled over the bar, before Millwall's George Honeyman curled a strike from the right-hand side, which looped over the frame of the goal and onto the opposite post.
After a frantic few moments, the scoring was opened when defender Jake Bidwell drove energetically through the middle to find Haji Wright, and Godden reacted first to nod home after the American's shot was saved.
A laboured start to the second half saw Edwards make a double change to bring on forwards Duncan Watmore and Aidomo Emakhu.
The substitutions almost paid off as Watmore's powerful cross was stopped by visiting keeper Bradley Collins, with George Saville bending a follow-up strike wide.
But the Lions were caught out when Bialkowski acrobatically parried Allen's long-range effort and Sakamoto's neat finish made it 2-0.
Wright was then left to rue another agonising miss as Bialkowski's legs blocked his shot, but Sheaf prodded the ball in from the corner that followed.
That was a sucker punch for a Millwall team, who have now lost four out of their past five home games in the division.
Millwall head coach Joe Edwards told BBC Radio London:
"We were looking to build from the back and get the ball down and control the game through possession.
"We looked like we were running out of ideas in the final third, which is kind of understandable, [for a] new coaching team and group of players working together.
"We lacked that imagination and that quality in the opposition's half. For them, it was the opposite story.
"When they capitalised on holes that we left, they were clinical. I don't think a 3-0 game tells the story."
Coventry City manager Mark Robins told BBC Radio CWR:
"It has been coming. You could see that the signs were right. We have got a really good group.
"They are all working for each other. That will get better. Today they showed that courage, determination [and] togetherness.
"To come here and do that is difficult at the best of times.
"We looked a threat and we kept their chances down to a minimum."
Five friends trying to find their voice and fame: The Grime Kids are awestruck by the music scene of East London in 2001...
Exposing organised crime: Follow a specialist police unit over an extraordinary two-year operation