Coventry crush Newcastle 4-1 to climb out of the Premier League relegation zone
Coventry won their second straight Premier League game, beating Newcastle 4-1 on Monday, 12 October after a Jack Rudoni penalty and late goals from Ellis Simms and Stephen Mfuni. The win moved them from 19th to 14th and out of the relegation zone.
Penalty and a sharp second half
Coventry took the lead in the sixth minute at the CBS Arena, when Jack Rudoni converted a penalty after Newcastle goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek fumbled the ball and tripped Sidiki Cherif. Rudoni then lifted his shirt to show the message 'Get well soon Nan', according to the Guardian. Newcastle monopolised possession in the first half, but Bobby Thomas cleared off the line to deny Matias Fernandez-Pardo and produced another clearance on the stroke of half-time. Cherif doubled the lead in the 48th minute, shooting low after a headed clearance by Malick Thiaw fell into his path. Sven Botman reduced the deficit to 2-1 in the 70th minute with a long-range strike, and Newcastle briefly threatened to take control.
- Jack Rudoni scores from a penalty, Coventry lead 1-0
- Sidiki Cherif doubles the lead, 2-0
- Sven Botman pulls one back for Newcastle, 2-1
- Ellis Simms scores, 3-1
- Stephen Mfuni scores the final goal, 4-1
Late goals settle the match
After Botman's goal, Coventry kept two or three players up front, a risk that paid off. Ellis Simms, a substitute, made it 3-1 in the 81st minute after Newcastle lost possession in a dangerous area, and Stephen Mfuni scored the fourth in the 86th minute. Cherif was making his first Premier League start since joining from Fenerbahce for £21m in the summer. Lampard credited his side's energy after the win, saying:
Today we showed a big energy and showed our abilities. Some quality goals went in.
Table position and records
The result lifted Coventry from 19th to 14th in the Premier League table, with six points, according to SAPO and AFP. Newcastle stayed on eight points in 11th place, per SAPO, and lost for the second time in six league games this season. Newcastle had lost their previous game 4-1 at Leeds, according to the Guardian, and the Europa Press report says they remain two points short of the European places. Coventry's first home Premier League win in 25 years came against a Newcastle side they had not beaten in the league since 1999, according to AFP.
- Newcastle
- 8 points
- Coventry
- 6 points
What comes next
Coventry travel to Tottenham on 19 October, where they will look for a third straight win, according to AFP. Newcastle manager Matthias Jaissle, who took over from Eddie Howe in the summer after a spell in Saudi Arabia, suffered his second league defeat in charge. Lampard's side had taken their first points of the season with a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest before the international break. Coventry's manager has warned that the league is so hard that a team which thinks it has cracked it has not.
