Haji Wright’s hat-trick fired Coventry back onto the Championship summit with a 3-1 home win over Middlesbrough at CBS Arena.
Wright fired Coventry ahead from Jack Rudoni’s 21st-minute pass, before he then doubled their lead from Carl Rushworth’s 55th-minute long ball.
Middlesbrough pulled a goal back in the 67th minute after a strike was deflected across for Riley McGree to smash into the net.
Coventry however wrapped up victory through Wright’s 71st-minute penalty after Matt Targett controversially handballed Josh Eccles’ shot.
Speaking to Sky Sports post-match, Wright praised his teammates for their intensity which caused issues for Middlesbrough’s tight passing play.
“The whole team… we played with a lot of energy the whole 90 minutes, we made it hard for them to play and we wanted to disrupt their small connections and tight connections and we were able to win the ball back up high and create opportunities off that.”
Wright added that he knew that this game was going to be tough but is pleased that his team executed their game plan to their strengths.
“They are a top team, we knew it was going to be a big challenge, but we know what we can do and we know what we can impose upon them and we did that tonight.”
The result moved Coventry back onto the summit of the Championship table and just a single point above Middlesbrough.
With just two points having separated both teams at the summit as the match kicked off, Coventry almost put themselves back top just two minutes in from Tatsuhiro Sakamoto’s cross but Wright headed the delivery onto the left post.
Morgan Whittaker three minutes later curled a tight shot over the bar with Boro’s first attack of the game in a lively start from both teams.
Coventry soon settled quickest and capitalised upon a scruffy headed backpass from a clearance up the left flank, which fell for Wright but he nodded across for Sakamoto, who opted to control the ball down to his feet and found Rudoni to slip Wright through to smash their opener past Sol Brynn.
Wright almost put the match within Coventry’s control with a 26th-minute shot but he found Brynn’s arms, before Ephron Mason-Clark curled a 30th-minute shot wide of the far-bottom right corner as Frank Lampard’s Sky Blues remained in firm control.
Boro however served up a 40th-minute scar from Matt Targett’s cross to the far right post which was met with a low-glanced header by Whittaker, but Jay Dasilva blocked before the subsequent corner was scrappily cleared.
Coventry eventually couldn’t extend their lead before half time as Brynn saved a 42nd-minute shot by Wright, after the American had latched onto a long ball forward by Rushworth.
Boro almost equalised just 43 seconds into the second half but Whittaker headed McGree’s cross over the bar.
Hayden Hackney then saw a 55th-minute shot saved by Rushworth who immediately played his goal kick long, with Luke Ayling outmuscled by Wright who scruffed his first shot but smashed a left-footed follow-up shot past Brynn to double the hosts’ lead.
Wright almost secured his hat-trick after he met a 64th-minute side-pass from Sakamoto, yet he fired wide of his near-bottom left corner from the edge of the box.
Coventry were soon dealt a scare three minutes later after Aidan Morris’ shot deflected across for McGree, who calmly smashed his shot past Rushworth to reduce Boro’s deficit.
Referee, Thomas Bramall however dealt Middlesbrough’s hopes of a comeback a controversial blow in the 69th minute, as newly-introduced Coventry substitute, Josh Eccles smashed a shot onto the helpless left arm of Matt Targett which handed the Sky Blues a penalty.
Wright duly stepped up two minutes later and rolled his penalty into the left corner to restore Coventry’s two-goal lead and complete his hat-trick, despite Brynn having dived correctly to his right side.
Middlesbrough nearly set up a tense finish in the 78th minute as Ayling played substitute, David Strelec forward into the box, yet the latter’s shot was straight into Rushworth’s arms.
Rushworth eventually produced a late series of saves to protect Coventry’s lead to the final whistle amidst several shots from Boro, during which Jeremy Sarmiento hit the post and Morris saw a shot blocked.
Coventry now ended their three-match winless run and put themselves firmly back on course for automatic promotion alongside Middlesbrough, as the visitors slipped to second with a five-point gap to third-placed Millwall who they meet on Good Friday 3 April at the Riverside Stadium.
What’s Next?
Coventry turn their attention to a Midlands derby as they visit West Brom at The Hawthorns on Saturday 21 February at 12:30pm GMT
Middlesbrough host Oxford United later that day in a 3pm kick-off at the Riverside Stadium.
Teams
Coventry: Carl Rushworth, Milan van Ewijk, Bobby Thomas, Joel Latibeaudiere, Jay Dasilva, Frank Onyeka (Torp 75′), Matt Grimes, Tatsuhiro Sakamoto (Markelo 82′), Jack Rudoni (Eccles 69′), Ephron Mason-Clark (Esse 69′), Haji Wright (Simms 82′)
Substitutes: Jake Bidwell, Josh Eccles, Liam Kitching, Romain Esse, Jahnoah Markelo, Ellis Simms, Victor Torp, Ben Wilson, Luke Woolfenden
Middlesbrough: Sol Brynn, Callum Brittain, Luke Ayling, Adilson Malanda, Matt Targett (Munroe 92′), Alan Browne (Sarmiento 59′), Aidan Morris, Hayden Hackney, Riley McGree (Hansen 92′), Morgan Whittaker (Strelec 59′), Tommy Conway (Sene 81′)
Substitutes: Dael Fry, Alex Gilbert, Sontje Hansen, Cruz Ibeh, Finlay Munroe, Jeremy Sarmiento, David Strelec, Kaly Sene, Joe Wildsmith
Referee – Thomas Bramall
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