Coventry City delivered a commanding performance to secure a 3-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers, handing the visitors their first defeat of the 2024-25 Sky Bet Championship season.
On a night where everything seemed to click for the Sky Blues, goals from Jake Bidwell, Haji Wright, and Brandon Thomas-Asante ensured a comfortable win at the Coventry Building Society Arena. It lifted the hosts to 16th in the Championship table, with eight points from eight matches.
The game started brightly for Coventry, as they quickly took control of the match. Rovers had their first chance just two minutes in, with Tyrhys Dolan showing excellent footwork to skip past Milan van Ewijk and deliver a low cross into the box, but Yuki Ohashi couldn’t get on the end of it. This early flurry from the visitors, however, proved to be one of the few moments of danger they posed throughout the evening.
Coventry were forced into an early change when Tatsuhiro Sakamoto went down with an apparent injury, prompting Ephron Mason-Clark to take his place. Yet, the substitution didn’t disrupt the Sky Blues’ momentum. In fact, within seconds of the change, Coventry found the opener. Jack Rudoni, always a threat from set pieces, swung in a precise free kick from the left, and Jake Bidwell expertly glanced the ball past Rovers goalkeeper Aynsley Pears to give Coventry a 1-0 lead.
From then on, Coventry controlled the game, with Blackburn struggling to create meaningful chances. A rare opportunity came for the visitors after a deep free kick from Harry Pickering found Dom Hyam, who headed the ball across the box. Although Blackburn captain Lewis Travis got on the end of the clearance, his curling effort was blocked before it could trouble Coventry’s goalkeeper Ben Wilson.
Wilson, largely untested throughout the game, dealt well with any minor threats Blackburn posed. He was quick to respond when Rovers’ best chance of the match arrived. Andi Weimann found himself with a clear shot on goal during a scramble in the Coventry box, but Wilson parried his powerful volley before gathering the ball on the second attempt.
Coventry, meanwhile, continued to press, looking dangerous with every attack. Another Rudoni set piece caused problems for the Rovers’ defence, as Bobby Thomas headed just wide of the target from a corner. As half time approached, Pears did well to tip a Rudoni strike around the post, keeping Blackburn’s deficit to just one goal going into the break.
The second half began disastrously for Blackburn as a mistake from Dolan gifted Coventry their second goal. Dolan, under pressure deep in his own half, played a risky pass back towards Hyam, but the defender couldn’t fully deal with it. The ball fell kindly to Haji Wright, who made no mistake, driving into the box and rifling his shot into the net to double Coventry’s advantage. Wright, who had scored the winner in this fixture last season, again proved to be Rovers’ tormentor.
Blackburn tried to find a way back into the match, but their efforts were in vain. Pears made several important saves to keep Coventry at bay, including a comfortable stop from a Milan van Ewijk free kick. However, Coventry’s attacking pressure was relentless, and it was only a matter of time before they found a third.
With just seven minutes remaining, the Sky Blues put the result beyond doubt. Thomas-Asante, who had been a constant threat after coming off the bench, received the ball in the box and fired a low shot past Pears, who could only watch as it skidded into the corner. It was a deserved goal for the forward, capping off a fine performance and securing a comprehensive victory for Coventry City.
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