Frank Lampard praised the “complete performance” of Coventry City after they recorded their first home win in the Premier League since 2001 with a 4-1 win over Newcastle United, whose coach Matthias Geisel was frustrated by their play in the final third.
Promoted club Coventry cruised to victory before the international break with a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest, but went into Monday’s match without a goal at CBS Arena.
That changed in the sixth minute when Jack Rodoni opened the scoring from a penalty kick after a mistake by Newcastle goalkeeper Lukas Hornecek.
Newcastle enforced the proceedings after that and saw several chances to equalize, with the Magpies punished for their profligacy as Seddiqi Cherif doubled Coventry’s lead three minutes into the second half.
Sven Botman gave Newcastle hope of a comeback with a stunning goal in the 70th minute, and the fourth goal seemed likely to come from the visitors as they sought an equaliser.
But a defensive error from Lewis Hall allowed Ellis Sims to restore Coventry’s two-goal lead with a deflected shot, before Stephen Mfuni hit the post to round off a memorable night for the Sky Blues.
“Very satisfactory,” Lampard told Sky Sports of Coventry’s performance.
“It is very difficult to win. We played like the team we want to be here. There is a lot of spirit and energy in the group and we know we will struggle a lot this season.
“The boys’ work ethic and the belief that you get what you deserve is a great finish. We haven’t gotten that green zone this season which would have helped us pick up more points.
“It was a complete performance. We have to keep our feet on the ground. It’s a great feeling for the players to feel that.
“It was a long 20 minutes (after Botman’s goal) and it was a great strike but we also did some good defensive work. That was a worry but we started to make some changes and that’s when you ask good players who have been training all week to keep going and add to the performance.
“If we don’t have that spirit, we won’t have a chance. We need everyone. A lot of players know that tonight.”
Jessel apologizes to Newcastle fans
While Coventry scored four goals from six shots on target, Botman’s goal was Newcastle’s only reward for their performance. The team had 66.7% of ball possession, and shot 19 shots on goalSix of them are on target.
Geisel noted his annoyance in the lead-up to the second goal, as Joe Willock was sidelined after a collision that saw him taken off the field for treatment but not called a foul, but he accepted that his side were not good enough in the attacking areas.
“We’re definitely disappointed,” Geisel told Sky Sports. “It’s a feeling you don’t want to feel when you feel like you should have won. We can only apologize to the fans who made the trip.
“We need to analyze that clearly, especially in the penalty area, on both ends. The desire and desire to score, to finish attacks, was missing.
“The second goal there was a foul on Joe Willock but no whistle was blown, in my eyes, it was missing that spot where the ball fell after the throw-in. We need to improve on the things we can control.
“It’s never good to concede a goal, but we had the approach after half-time to turn the score around. The players trusted that, so we scored the first goal and the momentum was on our side.
“This is something we must also learn that in the danger zone you cannot lose the ball. You cannot invite the opponent to score the third goal, it will be difficult.
“We need to win these games inside the box. Defensively we need to improve. Attacking, we have to be stronger.”
