Brighton hit five as Coventry's Premier League goal drought continues
Brighton & Hove Albion swept Coventry City aside 5-0 at the Coventry Building Society Arena, leaving the newly promoted side still without a Premier League goal after four matches.
Coventry are the second team in Premier League history to lose each of their first four games of a season without scoring a single goal. Frank Lampard’s side came into this campaign with hopes after waiting 25 years to return to the top flight but the gap in quality has become obvious so far.
Match highlight
Brighton started the match with energy. Should have gone ahead early. Jay Dasilva couldn’t deal with a cross at the post letting the ball fall to Diego Gomez. The midfielder struck it hard. Sent his shot wide of the target.
The visitors controlled the stages. Charalampos Kostoulas hit the side netting in the minute followed by Malick Yalcouye firing straight at former Brighton keeper Carl Rushworth.
Coventry began to find their rhythm and created chances of their own. Jack Rudoni headed wide from a delivery by Ephron Mason-Clark. Then Mason-Clark forced Bart Verbruggen into an one-handed save at the back post.
By the half-hour mark Coventry were posing threats. Verbruggen had to make another top-class stop to deny Frank Onyeka’s volley.. Coventry failed to make their chances count and Brighton punished them immediately after.
Kostoulas found space inside the penalty area. Fired a powerful shot into the bottom-left corner. It was a blow for Coventry coming just after their best phase of the match.
The game slipped away from Coventry in the second half. Yalcouye raced past Aurele Amenda broke through on goal and finished at the post to make it 2-0.
Coventry made things even worse for themselves. Taiwo Awoniyi caught Maxim De Cuyper with an elbow lost possession and was sent off without hesitation in a red card.
Brighton did not let up. Bobby Thomas fouled Kostoulas in the box and Pascal Gross stepped up to convert the penalty for the goal. Coventry almost pulled one back when Brandon Thomas-Asante struck a volley but Verbruggen saved again.
Lewis Dunk added Brighton’s fourth with a strike from 30 yards. Yasin Ayari completed the scoring in stoppage time capping off a perfect away performance for Brighton.
The win ends Brighton’s three-match Premier League run without a victory. Coventry remain bottom of the table. Now face a tough test away to Nottingham Forest next Saturday.
Coventry created first-half chances to make the result feel different for a while but Brighton were clinical when it mattered. Once Yalcouye made it 2-0 and Awoniyi was sent off there was no way, for the Sky Blues.
