Clinical Coventry Smash Four Past Fragile Newcastle to End 25-Year Top-Flight Home Drought
Four different scorers for Frank Lampard's rejuvenated side as the hosts took advantage of defensive errors to leave the visitors (the Magpies) looking for answers. Following the difficult start to life in the top flight, Coventry have now picked up all the points from their last two games. Rudoni gets the home crowd going early with a spot kick and the hosts are in control from the first whistle. Coventry aren't going to sit back in that position. They go right at the back line of Newcastle who are very porous and they get away with it. Cherif, Simms and Mfuni all go over the line and it's a complete demolition. Newcastle had the ball in their pocket for long periods of the game but their failure to capitalise on the chances they did create at one end or to defend their own area at the other was the death knell. Every single lapse in their defensive line was punished with a Coventry attack full of belief. For Lampard the emphatic win was long overdue for a side who'd just not been getting on at all in the early part of the season. "Very, very satisfying," said Lampard after the final whistle. "We played like the team we want to be. There's absolutely loads of spirit and energy in the group, and we know we're going to have to suffer massively this season." The Coventry manager was straight down the track in terms of what had caused the sudden burst of scoring. He pointed to the sheer persistence of his side. "The work rate of the boys and the belief that you get what you deserve is great," Lampard added. "We haven't quite had that 'rub of the green' this season to enable us to nick a few more points. It was a complete performance. We have to keep our heads down. It's a great feeling for the players."  While the home side are celebrating a 25th anniversary, Newcastle manager Matthias Jaissle was left to go through the motions of a very disappointing defeat. To BBC Sport he was simply damning of his team's lack of accuracy in both 18-yard areas. "That's hard. That's punishment in this league. We had lots of possession, lots of phases, but it's not enough," Jaissle said. "The games are decided in the box. We weren't clean in either half. That's something we need to learn quickly." Jaissle was not going to hide his players behind their relative inexperience. He was going to go right out and face the travelling supporters who were watching their side get thrashed. The momentum was there. We've got a young side and that shouldn't be an excuse. It was a difficult game overall really. If you look at the whole picture today it wasn't the worst game at all. I'm sorry to the fans though as they were clearly hoping for a different outcome. The win gives Coventry vital breathing space and real momentum in the Premier League table as they build on two consecutive wins. Newcastle go back to Tyneside with a host of questions over their defensive organisation.
