Frank Lampard’s Coventry back on top as Haji Wright hat-trick sinks Boro

Lampard said: “It’s nice to be back at the top, it’s where we want to be. It’s a big one tonight but we can’t over-celebrate. It’s just a moment.

“We have to use this performance as a template and take it into the final 14 games. You can talk all you like but football is all about actions.

“The lads have been asked a lot of questions and they deserve a lot of credit for how they’ve dealt with it tonight. There are so many points to fight for. Boro are there, Ipswich are always going to be there and so are Millwall so it’s absolutely game on and you can’t rest.

“It’s a massive performance from the lads against high-class opposition. You have to score at critical moments and we did. We worked all week on what we would do off the ball. We wanted to press and press very high. The lads followed the instructions brilliantly.”

Coventry were dominant and ended this predictably frenetic and, at times, bad-tempered first half 1-0 ahead. It was a deserved lead which probably should have been more than a single goal.

Wright was a constant threat, and almost gave his side the perfect start inside the first two minutes as the hosts were straight on to the front foot.

The unmarked forward met an inviting Tatsuhiro Sakamoto cross from the right with a firm downward header ten yards from goal which beat Sol Brynn but hit the outside of the Middlesbrough goalkeeper’s right-hand post.

Middlesbrough were neat on the ball but their primary issue was a lack of possession as they struggled to impose themselves on the contest. A speculative long-range effort from Morgan Whittaker flew narrowly over after a five-man move but it was a rare threat.

Frank Onyeka swiftly put his stamp on the midfield battle in an impressive debut for Coventry’s loan signing from Brentford and the mounting pressure eventually told when Coventry broke the deadlock in the 21st minute.

As with most of Coventry’s good work, Sakamoto was at the heart it. The Japanese international’s close control and trickery on the edge of the box created space for Jack Rudoni to cross low for the lurking Wright, who beat his marker Luke Ayling at the near post to poke the ball through Brynn’s legs from six yards out. It was his 11th goal of the season.

Middlesbrough almost caught Coventry cold at the outset of the second half and Whittaker ought to have equalised when the forward put an unmarked header from ten yards onto the roof of the net from a McGree cross barely 30 seconds after the restart.

It proved a costly miss as Wright doubled the advantage ten minutes into the second half with a goal right out of the route one play-book.

The Middlesbrough defence simply melted away as a long clearance downfield from Coventry goalkeeper Carl Rushworth was allowed to bounce twice on its way into the penalty area, before Wright fired home left-footed past Brynn on the half-volley.

Kim Hellberg’s substitutions in the wake of falling further behind almost paid instant dividends when Jeremy Sarmiento’s curling effort from the edge of the area came back off the inside of the post.

McGree gave the visitors hope when with a little over 25 minutes left the Australian confidently fired home when Coventry failed to clear a ball into their area.

Within three minutes Coventry’s two-goal cushion was restored, as Wright claimed the match ball, firing into the bottom corner from the penalty spot after a Josh Eccles cross struck Matt Targett on the arm.

Coventry City (4-2-3-1): C Rushworth — M van Ewijk, B Thomas, J Latibeaudiere, J Dasilva — F Onyeka (V Torp 75min), M Grimes — T Sakamoto (J Markelo 81), J Rudoni (J Eccles 68), E Mason-Clark (R Esse 69) — H Wright (E Simms 81). Booked Onyeka, Sakamoto, Grimes.

Middlesbrough (4-4-2): S Brynn — C Brittain, L Ayling, A Malanda, M Targett — A Browne (J Sarmiento 59), A Morris, H Hackney, R McGree — M Whittaker (D Strelec 58), T Conway (K Sène 81). Booked Morris, Ayling.

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