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Photograph: The Guardian
Oh man, I enjoyed that. Van Ewijk and Mfumi run towards the crowd, their every fist-pump cheered, and Lampard, eating his own face with satisfaction, can’t resist the opportunity to do likewise. My days, these supporters have earned this.
FULL TIME: Coventry City 4-1 Newcastle United
Brilliant goals, telling substitutions and the joyful freedom of youth; a sorely needed night of affirming uplift for the neutral, a legendary one of release and catharsis for Coventry, and a brutal disaster for Newcastle.
90+3 min Alan Smith gives Bobby Thomas player of the match, and he deserves it for his last-ditch defending. I might’ve gone for Rudoni, who composed himself to score the penalty and offered Coventry the invention they needed to defend their narrow lead, but I can’t argue with Thomas.
90 min Toure is hurt so the sub is subbed, Burn coming on for his first appearance of the season; we’ll have four additional minutes.
89 min Simms’ goal was with his first touch, Mfuni’s with his first, er action, which is to say Lampard has played a blinder here. Less than 10 minutes ago, Newcastle will have felt an equaliser was coming; now, they’re on the arse-end of a tousing.
88 min Er, yes and no. He was in an offside positon, but was he blocking the keeper’s view? Not for me, Clive, and the ref agrees.
87 min But was Thomas-Asante offside?
WHAT A GOAL! Coventry City 4-1 Newcastle United (Mfuni 86)
We’ve had a 19-year-old score, now and 18-year-old! Mfuni who, remember, is a centre-back, takes possession 22 yards out, shimmies outside Thiaw, then spins into a rasping low shot which screeches across Hornicek and into the far corner! Another amazing moment, and all the years of dreadfulness, relegations, ground closures and Sisu, are converted into an explosion of collective ecstasy. What a night this is!
84 min Thomas-Asante rides a challenge and, from the edge of the box, right of centre, swivels into a low shot that clatters the foot of the far post and bounces clear! Another fantastic effort in a night of them.
83 min Two more changes for Coventry, Mfuni and Torp on for Grimes and Rudoni.
83 min Man, Coventry needed that. Joelinton was booked during the celebrations for the tackle on Thomas-Asante.
GOAL! Coventry City 3-1 Newcastle United (Simms 81)
But he can also do that! Sakamotot burrows into the box off the right but is robbed by Joelinton, who tries to bring the ball away only for a poor touch to force him to barrel through Thomas-Asante, on the edge, an ill man unable to help himself. The ref, though, plays a decent advantage because he can see Simms has the ball inside the box, and his shot deflects off Thiaw and past Horniceck!
81 min Coventry have had a better few minutes, and I imagine Lampard wants them to play into Simms, who can hold it up and take some heat out of the game.
80 min Wissa felt like a panic buy when Isak left – he wasn’t someone I watched at Brentford and thought would get a big move. But playing him as a no 10, not a no 9, makes absolutely no sense; he’s a poacher, not a creator.
78 min Further changes: Coventry send on Onyeka and Simms for Yirenkyi and Cherif, while Newcastle try Osula for Wissa.
77 min Back to Craig’s email, Jaissle’s biggest problem, I think, is not trusting his new signings. Without the departed Tonali and Guimaraes, his side lacks class, and though the new arrivals are inexperienced, he’s got to try them because without them, it’s stodgy and dull.
75 min Wissa robs Dasilva and feeds Toure, whose square-pass is intercepted, just. It’s getting frantic for Coventry, far too early; if they’re to see this out, they’ll need more composure than they’re currently showing.
74 min “At the end of the Leeds debacle, I sent you a somewhat hysterical email nailing us on for relegation, which I’m grateful you didn’t publish,” says Craig Scott. “But seeing this I certainly think we’re in for a grim season. No credible goalscorer, real lack of creativity, shaky defence and a systems manager who doesn’t seem to have the players for his system or to trust our more incisive ones. Early days and we need to stay behind team and manager, but it’s not looking good.”
72 min This a proper test for Coventry now. Will they have the courage and quality to take the ball and attack, rather than sit in to protect what they have? I think they’ll have to, because 20-odd minutes is too long to defend the box.
WHAT A GOAL! Coventry City 2-1 Newcastle United (Botman 70)
Botman takes possession 25 yards out and Coventry sit off because what’s he going to do with it from there? Er, this: move the ball forward and left, creating an angle before, from the edge, flinging all of his not insubstantial corporeality into a sensational donkey kick, which burns into the roof at the near post. Lampard will be raging at the defending, but that finish is an absolute outrage.
69 min I’ve really enjoyed Rudoni’s performance tonight – he’s trying things and, though they haven’t all come off, it’s essential Coventry have a player who does the unexpected.
67 min Someone on the Newcastle bench is booked, presumably for mouth.
65 min Coventry win a corner down the left and take it short, playing with much more confidence than before. Before the game, Lampard said they were used to controlling games last season and this one was different, but they’re starting to play like then, when they lose possession Van Ewijk running back to win a confident challenge. Before sneakily kicking the ball away, for which he’s booked.
64 min It takes four minutes for Joelinton to plough into a challenge. Welcome back, old mate.
63 min I was about to chastise him for so doing, but then a lovey touch from Sakamoto sends Rudoni grooving towards the box, a lovely sway and feet, with stepover, taking him past Hall, before he opts to pass when he should shoot, the effort intercepted.
62 min Nice touch from Rudoni to send Thomas-Asante away down the left. He can’t see any good options, though, so he turns back and Coventry keep the ball, before Rushworth hammer it long.
61 min Coventry send Sakamoto on for Mason-Clark.
60 min Those changes are all like for like and immediately, Toure feeds Joelinton, whose low cross is blocked.
60 min Changes for Newcastle: off go Miley, Willock and Murphy; on come Dedic, Joelinton and Toure.
59 min Newcastle keep the ball, then Willock injects pace by playing short into Murphy, who turns a return back into bis path, sending hi into the box … but the shot is lashed high/
58 min This feels like a bit of a lesson for Jaissle: when your team are that poor in the first half, don’t wait to make a change.
57 min My wife messages commanding me to turn the volume down and while I’m trying to, Rushworth makes a mess of coming for a cross but claims at the second attempt.
55 min Coventry are flying now, Thomas-Asante crossing well from the right and Botman making a bottix of his clearance, diverting the ball directly to Cherif! But where, just a few minutes ago, his composure and connection were perfect, this time, he swings with one foot against the other, a terrible shot squirting wide.
53 min Wissa, wuo was a little slow to try and charge down Cherif’s shot, tries a curler of his own, but it’s easily saved by Rushworth.
51 min I can’t get enough of these replays. The first touch actually takes Cherif away from goal and into the D, meaning he’s got further to twizzle his body to get around the ball. But it’s that further which helps him generate whip, his two touches perfect in the way he middles and cushions the ball, both gloriously natural.
WHAT A GOAL! Coventry City 2-0 Newcastle United (Cherif 49)
Oh, this is brilliant, a joyous, beautiful moment for the 19-year-old making his first Premier League start. The long throw is cleared to the edge by Botman but even when Cherif takes a touch to control, on the half-turn, there looks to be no danger. But then he spins to flow a shot – the kind that he’ll have barely felt, the connection is so pure, like the way boxers talk about a knockout punch – and it somehow rinses low through a crowd of defenders and in! The ground explodes and rightly so.
48 min A ball into the box, a dummy from, I think, Rudoni, and Cherif doesn’t read it. Still, from the clearance, Coventry have another chance to hurl a ball into the box, something they tried a few times in the first half.
46 min This is the kind of game that, if Coventry are to stay up, they need to win – a probable mid-table side at home. They might need another goal, though, because at some point you have to think Newcastle will create something unmissable. But, in the meantime, Willock and Van Ewijk leap together for a high ball and neither enjoys the landing … but both should be fine.
46 min We go again, no changes to either side.
Half-time email: “Tremendous credit to the Coventry pair of Grimes and Yirenski,” returns AnhTuan Nguyen Huynh. “Newcastle have got a proper fight on their hands in the second half.”
I keep saying similar, but I look at their XI and think who will Coventry fear? No one.
Half-time entertainment:
HALF-TIME: Coventry City 1-0 Newcastle United
Coventry started the faster, earning a penalty Hornicek ought never to have conceded. Newcastle then took over, but rarely looked like scoring, their lack of invention and quality limiting their ability to threaten. Work for Matthias Jaissle to do.
45 min Now Coventry attack, Rudoni going down the left and finding Mason-Clark, who crosses low, Thomas-Asante loitering with intent, but Hall does really well to clear, half-facing his own net. Suddenly, this is end to end; we’ll have two additional minutes.
43 min Gonzalez, who’s gone quiet, clips a fine pass through the middle that I think Thomas should cut out. But he doesn’t and Fernandez-Pardo hares through the middle; he’s in! He might shoot, but opts instead to go around Rushworth then, when Thomas runs in behind the keeper, doesn’t lift his finish, instead shooting into the defender’s legs. allowing the clearance. That should’ve been the equaliser, but that was, for the third time tonight, tremendous box-defending from Bobby Thomas, whop thoroughly enjoys the crowd hollering his name and why not? What a feeling that must be.
42 min Coventry have been better these last 10 minutes; so far, Newcastle are a study in abjectivity.
41 min Thomas-Asante wins a free-kick on the right, which Rudoni takes … and butchers to no one.
39 min He’s yet to score an own-goal derby winner, but so far Fernandez-Pardo, flagged offside again, has been less impressive than was Woltemade.
38 min Barnes drives forward again, finding Willock, whose attempted curler is blocked behind, then Pinnock heads the corner away, Rudoni carries forward, and Thomas-Asante looks to thread a crossfield pass into Mason-Clark’s stride … but it’s intercepted.
37 min “Not at all impressed by this showing at all from Jaissle’s Boiz, says Chris Paraskevas. “It’s been yet another slow, passive start to a game, giving ourselves a mountain to climb before a ball has barely even been kicked. We need focal points to our attack and midfield – Osula and Joelinton mgfht have critical roles to play, regardless of their fitness levels…”
Joelinton brings bite, but what I think Newcastle are missing here is class. I’d like to see Steur and Toure.
35 min Coventry need to find themselves an out-ball, because they’ve been pinned back for far too long. In the meantime, though, their defending has been fairly good.
33 min “Am I the only person who finds the outrage at Man City’s behaviour a little synthetic, at least as it relates to the onfield impact?” wonders Richard Hirst. “Yes, if they are guilty they should be punished severely, but do we really think that, for example, if Mancini had not, allegedly, had two contracts City’s results would have been any different?
Given my team are bottom of the league I will clearly be delighted if City are placed below us, but let he who is without sin cast the first stone, and given that we had al Fayed, it certainly shouldn’t be Fulham.”
You’re certainly the only person i’ve met who finds it synthetic. In the first instance, it matters not what the effect was but that the rules were signed up to then, in the opinion of an independent tribunal, broken. But perhaps Mancini only goes to them because the money is good, and perhaps players then sign to play for him?
31 min Barnes steps inside on his right foot and curls a delectable ball to the back stick, which Murphy knocks back … but again, Thomas makes a brilliant clearance with Fernandez-paro prowling behind him. The flag then goes up, but still, that was exceptional defending.
28 min Newcastle attack down the right and Murphy cuts back for Fernandez-Pardo to sweep home a shot except he … dummies … to, er … no one? Maybe he got a shout from a defender, but even so. And then Coventry counter, Cherif, quiet so far, racing away at inside-right. He might pick a pass but instead shoots, and Hornicek saves. Poor decisions from both.
27 min Willock bundles through a challenge and Hall takes over, sliding down the left for Fernandez-Pardo, who nashes to the line and crosses as Van Ewijk slides in. The ball ricochets on to him, Fernandez-Pardo and back on to him … then the ref gives a goalkick.
25 min Gonzalez, who is starting to control the game, sends a free-kick short to Willock, who sweeps a high ball into the box … and Rushworth comes to claim. Coventry aren’t under heavy pressure in that Newcastle aren’t creating chances, but if they have to spend the next hour defending, you’d expect a crucial error at some point.
23 min Willock looks to find a space to cross, beating Thomas-Asante twice before firing into the middle, but Barnes, extending a foot, can’t control his finish and the ball flashes wide of the near post.
21 min Newcastle probe, but they’re lacking players able to beat men or pick passes. No matter, as I type, Murphy swings over a delicious cross, Wissa and Fernandez-Pardo looking to attack it … so Thomas’ header to take it away is a crucial one. Excellent d-fence.
19 min Since the scored, Coventry have barely had a touch in the Newcastle half. Their defensive shape, though, is pretty good, two lines of four nice and narrow, allowing Newcastle free men on the touchline but not inside.
