Sunderland suffered a second away defeat in the space of five days as they beaten at Coventry City. The Black Cats arrived in the Midlands having lost at lowly Rotherham in midweek, and this reverse against Mark Robins' play-off hopefuls at the Coventry Building Society Arena made it back-to-back defeats for only the second time this season for Tony Mowbray and his team.
Sunderland dominated possession throughout the game but Coventry were always a threat on the counter and they twice punished the Black Cats for giving the ball away. Jamie Allen put the hosts ahead just after the midway point in the first half, and man of the match Viktor Gyokeres added the second in the 89th minutes.
Sunderland had hit the woodwork through Danny Batth when the game was still goalless, but they had to wait until injury-time at the end of the match to get on the scoresheet when on-loan Manchester United forward Amad scored a brilliant consolation goal. The result meant Coventry climbed to within a point of the Black Cats, with the sides tenth and eighth respectively, at least until the remainder of this afternoon's Championship games kick off.
READ MORE: Coventry City 2-1 Sunderland: Highlights and reaction as Black Cats slip to defeat in the Midlands
Mowbray reverted to the same side that started last weekend's draw against Bristol City on Wearside, undoing the three changes he made for the midweek defeat at Rotherham. That meant Patrick Roberts, Trai Hume, and Aji Alese came back into the side, in place of Alex Pritchard, Luke O'Nien, and Dennis Cirkin.
Pritchard and O'Nien were included on the bench, but Cirkin missed out - presumably due to injury. Coventry's last outing also came at Rotherham, and after a 2-0 win last weekend Robins stuck with the same side that began at the New York Stadium.
The Black Cats dominated the early stages of the game, with Hume forcing ex-Sunderland academy keeper Ben Wilson to beat away a snap shop after good work from Jack Clarke in the build-up. And in the ninth minute Danny Batth rattled the crossbar with a header from a Roberts' free-kick, which was delivered into the box from near the byline on the left.
But after that promising opening, Sunderland began to make mistakes and Amad gave the ball away cheaply to Gyokeres and the Swede held off Batth as he got into the box only to blaze his shot over the bar. Luke McNally then headed over the bar from a corner for the hosts.
Coventry went in front on 25 minutes, although there was an element of controversy about the goal as Sunderland felt referee Dean Whitestone had missed fouls on both Clarke and Dan Neil in the build-up. Coventry played on and the ball was fed into the right-hand channel for Gyokeres, who got into the box and squared for the unmarked Allen to apply the finish from 12 yards out.
Gyokeres had a chance to double their lead almost immediately when he again caused problems inside the area, but this time his shot from a tight angle went across the face of goal and just wide of the left-hand post. As half-time approached, Gustavo Hamer volleyed over the bar when a clearance dropped to him inside the area, and a few minutes later Gyokeres saw an effort deflected wide for a corner.
At the other end, Batth headed over from a free-kick, and in injury-time Wilson saved a low free-kick from Roberts. Coventry were forced into a change early in the second half when Kasey Palmer pulled up with what looked like a hamstring problem, and he was replaced by Josh Wilson-Esbrand.
Only a brilliant save from Wilson low to his left prevented Amad putting Sunderland back on terms 10 minutes into the second period, after Roberts' flick had found him inside the area on the right, but the keeper turned his shot round the post for a corner. More chances came and went for Sunderland in the final 20 minutes.
Substitute Pritchard's corner was headed over the bar by Hume when he should have done better, with goalkeeper Wilson getting a touch even though the effort was off target. Then Amad swerved away from his marker inside the penalty area near the byline on the right inside the box and his cross fell to Alese, but his shot on the turn went wide of the left-hand post when he should have scored.
But Coventry doubled their lead in the 89th minute after sub O'Nien gave the ball away cheaply in midfield and it was spread wide to Matty Godden on the right and his low cross was diverted home by Gyokeres, who had got in front of Dan Ballard. Amad scored a brilliant consolation goal in injury-time, bending a shot into the top left-hand corner, but it was too little, too late, for Sunderland.
How they lined up
Coventry City: Wilson, McNally, McFadzean, Doyle (Rose 81), Hamer, Eccles, Norton-Cuffy, Allen, Palmer (Wilson-Esbrand 52), Bidwell (Godden 81), Gyokeres. Subs not used: Moore, Maguire, Walker, Dabo
Booked: Palmer, Eccles, Wilson
Sunderland: Patterson, Hume, Ballard, Batth, Alese (Bennette 81), Michut (Ba 70), Neil (O'Nien 74), Roberts, Amad, Clarke (Pritchard 70), Gelhardt (Ekwah 70). Subs not used: Bass, Lihadji
Booked: Neil, Amad
Referee: Dean Whitestone (Northamptonshire)
Attendance: 21,437
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