6th April 2024, EFL Sky Bet Championship
That was a strange performance from Leeds, we bossed the possession and, according to the stats we had 19 shots of which 8 hit the target and yet it felt nothing like that during the game! Yes, we came into it more in the later stages and had at least one good chance to level the game, but in the first hour or so I thought Leeds were completely tepid.
The big issue today though was two sloppy, naïve pieces of defending, defending the like of which we’d been largely free of this season, at least since those few early games back last August.
The first, from a Coventry left wing corner would not have looked out of place on a Sunday morning in the local park, the ball allowed to bobble about like a cork in a rough sea with no one taking control, too many defenders ball-watching and no one keeping an eye on the home side’s most dangerous goal poacher!
The second was as bad if not worse as Coventry broke quickly down their right following a decent goal attempt by Leeds. Somehow we allowed Haji Wright to jog through unhindered and unseen to meet a simple right wing cross at the back post unchallenged. Again, we saw a few like this early in the season but I thought we were better these days. Maybe it was just a bad day in the defensive office. Hopefully it will be a kick up the arse for us in that department.
Yes, It was a strange Leeds performance, even Joel Piroe showed us the two sides of his ability, finishing clinically when the ball fell at his feet for the Leeds goal and yet completely fluffing what looked an easier chance minutes later. We hardly saw Georginio today - although his usual battling for the ball did create the Piroe goal. Everyone just looked underwhelming most of the time.
Coventry are a decent side, let’s not forget that and they had plenty of incentive to try to get themselves back into the all-important top six but, other than those two inexplicable defensive lapses they didn’t really trouble us. With Ipswich losing at Norwich in the lunchtime game, this now looks and feels like a huge wasted opportunity to steal a march on the Tractor Boys and of course Leicester put Birmingham away too just to add to our disappointment. The games are running out and we need to take opportunities when they come around – we may have missed the boat now and the prospect of those damn play-offs is looming large again!
Sky Bet Championship
Coventry City 2 (Simms 9’, Wright 49’)
Leeds United 1 (Piroe 76’)
Coventry: Collins (GK), Thomas, Simms, O’Hare (Torp 77’), Wright (Dasilva 88’), Sheaf (C), Kitching, Bidwell, van Ewijk, Eccles, Palmer (Latibeaudiere 66’). Subs not used: Wilson (GK), Binks, Kelly, Tavares, Lusala, Andrews.
Leeds: Meslier (GK), Firpo, Ampadu (C), Kamara (Roberts 45’), Bamford (Joseph 66’), Summerville, Rodon, James (Gnonto 84’), Gray, Georginio, Gruev (Piroe 66’). Subs not used: Darlow (GK), Cresswell, Cooper, Anthony, Byram.
Referee: Tom Nield
Booked: Bidwell, Sheaf, Simms, Eccles (Coventry) Gruev, Ampadu (Leeds)
Venue: Coventry Building Society Arena
Attendance: 30,232
