Coventry 0-5 Brighton: Lewis Dunk scores stunner in big win for Seagulls as Frank Lampard’s side stay bottom | Football News
Coventry remain pointless on their Premier League return as they were dismantled 5-0 by brilliant Brighton at the CBS Arena.
Charalampos Kostoulas put the Seagulls in charge before the interval, Malick Yalcouye doubled the lead after the break, and when Taiwo Awonoyi was sent off there was no way back. Pascal Gross’ penalty, Lewis Dunk’s rocket and Yasin Ayari’s strike sealed it.
Brighton had the first seven shots of the match, all inside the first 20 minutes, but Coventry had the next eight and were in the ascendancy – which is what will make Kostoulas’ opener more frustrating for Lampard. The Greek striker punished them.
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Brilliant Charalampos Kostoulas finish sees Brighton in front against Coventry
The first half featured 21 shots, the most in any Premier League game so far this season, but Bart Verbruggen kept Coventry out despite the home side having 10 of them. He tipped Jack Rudoni’s volley wide and Frank Onyeka’s vicious strike over the crossbar.
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Clinical Malick Yalcouye doubles Brighton lead against Coventry
There was to be no comeback for Lampard’s side. The start of the second half put paid to that when Yalcouye nipped in ahead of a sluggish Aurele Florian Amenda to race through and slot home before Taiwo Awoniyi was sent off for elbowing Maxin De Cuyper.
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Coventry down to 10 men as Taiwo Awoniyi sent off in the second half
When Bobby Thomas tripped Kostoulas, things got worse for the Sky Blues. Gross converted the penalty to make it three and then Dunk took a pot-shot from distance that arrowed into the top corner of Carl Rushworth’s net. Yasin Ayari then made it five in stoppage time.
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Pascal Gross sends Carl Rushworth wrong way to score Brighton’s third
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Lewis Dunk scores SUBLIME goal of the season contender for Brighton to make it four
Brighton, the Premier League top scorers, go fourth. As for Coventry, their fans were impressively defiant in their support but they remain bottom without a goal let alone a point upon their Premier League return. Hull and Ipswich have started well. They have not.
The key moments from the CBS Arena
27 – SAVE! Verbruggen denies Rudoni from close
32 – SAVE! Onyeka’s vicious strike is tipped over
35 – GOAL! Kostoulas strikes to punish Coventry
51 – GOAL! Yalcouye race through to make it two
53 – RED CARD! Awoniyi sent off for a stray elbow
70 – PENALTY SCORED! Gross converts spot-kick
83 – GOAL! Dunk scores with an outrageous effort
90+4 – GOAL! Ayari caps it by curling into the corner
Analysis: Red card was harsh
Sky Sports’ Roy Keane on the sending off of Taiwo Awoniyi:
“I think it’s tough. Obviously, he’s raised his elbow and is waiting for him to come, but is it a swinging elbow?
“I think it’s harsh. He probably gave the referee the chance to send him off, but once that decision’s made it’s proper game over.”
Lampard points to missed chances
Coventry boss Frank Lampard speaking in the press conference:
“We went one down from a moment of quality. Welcome to the Premier League, that is what that is.
“The second half, we started again quite well, we had a good chance. Don’t take it. The second goal was the most disappointing for us because it’s a mistake from our point of view.
“And then the red card changes the face of it a bit, 2-0, 10 men, very difficult. So, lots of circumstances within the game, it feels very difficult obviously to take the result. There are a lot of circumstances that you can reflect on and say, if and if and if.
“We need to just be honest about that, we need to take chances in this league, we need to be efficient in our own box to defend. So, yeah, lots to take from it and not a nice feeling to have that because we haven’t had that here for a long time actually.”
Dunk’s wonder-goal explained
Brighton captain Lewis Dunk speaking to Sky Sports about his goal:
“I’ve got that sort of shot in my locker, but it was just sitting a bit under my feet, and I thought, just have a shot, and thankfully it went into the top corner.
“I shocked myself. If you see from my celebration, I didn’t think I was really going to do it like that, but it was lovely.”
Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen telling Sky Sports about the hit:
“I don’t think for us it’s a surprise, but everyone was really happy to see it come out in a game.
“It was an unbelievable strike, and as a club, we always do a goal of the season, but they can wrap the award up and we can do the ceremony tomorrow because it isn’t getting better than this.
“To be fair, he’s hit a couple of nice ones in training, but that was very good!”
Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler speaking in the press conference:
“Of course it’s a special technique, you have to hit the ball in a special place, then it gets a special spin, a special curve, and I think he showed it, it was the perfect shot in that moment.
“But overall, for me it stood out that we kept a clean sheet, he was organising a lot, he was speaking, communicating, he was there when the long balls were coming, so that’s for me the most important, and in Germany there’s a phrase, the goal was the cherry on the cake.”
Analysis: Coventry have support but not quality
Sky Sports’ Adam Bate at CBS Arena:
It was quite the sound and the sight, Coventry’s supporters singing ‘Sky Blue Army’ incessantly during the closing stages of their 5-0 defeat. Beaten but not broken by what was a chastening loss by any measure. “Welcome to the Premier League,” said Lampard.
Even the delighted Brighton fans, and the final whistle itself, were drowned out in those moments. The Coventry boss applauded the fans. Speaking in the press conference afterwards, Lampard acknowledged the astonishing support from the home crowd.
“There is an understanding, and I’m not asking for sympathy, that the level has gone up. They saw us with 10 men for a long period, I’m not taking that like I’m not grateful, I appreciate very much because it’s a help to the players to get that feeling.”
Nevertheless, the fear is that it was quality lacking, not confidence.
“The reality, obviously as the boys are finding out, is that maybe there’s a millisecond less to get your shot away and there’s a bit more pressure in the Premier League,” Lampard explained.
“And those things are difficult to just get better.” Coventry had many openings far clearer than the ones that accounted for at least
