Coventry City vs Bournemouth. Sky Bet Championship.
The Coventry Building Society ArenaAttendance24,492.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Coventry and Bournemouth at the Coventy Building Society Arena as Jamal Lowe and a Dominic Solanke double took the Cherries a step closer to promotion
Monday 18 April 2022 18:40, UK
Dominic Solanke took his season's tally to 27 goals after his double saw Bournemouth close in on a return to the Premier League following a 3-0 victory at Coventry.
The ex-Liverpool striker put the outcome beyond doubt after Jamal Lowe had opened the scoring in a clinical display by Scott Parker's men that re-established their four-point advantage over the play-off chasing pack.
That cushion had been reduced to one following Huddersfield's victory at Middlesbrough in the lunch-time kick-off but the Cherries ended a mini blip of three games without a win to get their top-two quest back on track.
With the hosts still in play-off contention, Coventry's players had earlier matched the exuberance of a raucous Coventry Building Society Arena during the opening exchanges with 16-goal top-scorer Viktor Gyokeres firing across the face of goal after sprinting on to Todd Kane's ball through the right channel.
On-loan Chelsea midfielder Ian Maatsen also cleared the crossbar from 20 yards after another positive Sky Blues raid.
But, having ridden out the early storm, it was the Cherries who forged in front with their first shot of the game on 12 minutes.
Adam Smith made an excellent overlapping run down the left and lifted a cross perfectly onto the head of Lowe who headed in off the underside of the bar from inside the six-yard box.
The goal failed to turn the tide, though, with Coventry still the more energetic and enterprising side.
Good work down the left by Gyokeres soon afterwards teed up Kane for a volley that he dragged disappointingly wide and Callum O'Hare shot weakly at Bournemouth keeper Mark Travers after being sent clear on goal by Gustavo Hamer.
The latter then went close with a deflected 25-yard drive, while Gyokeres' header from Jake Bidwell's cross was well held by Travers.
But, to the disbelief of the home fans, Parker's team then doubled their advantage on the stroke of half-time following only their second attack of the contest.
Jefferson Lerma played Solanke in through the right channel and his 12-yard shot took a wicked deflection off Michael Rose to spin past a helpless Simon Moore in the Coventry goal.
After the break, Gyokeres' early second-half effort was diverted away from the Cherries' goal by skipper Lloyd Kelly before the visitors added a third goal in the 55th minute when Solanke ghosted in behind the home defence to latch on to Ryan Christie's precise pass and confidently shot across the face of goal to find the bottom corner from 10 yards.
The now-deflated hosts could muster little in response with O'Hare clearing the crossbar following an unconvincing long-range attempt, although Travers was needed to tip over a thumping 81st-minute strike by substitute Martyn Waghorn.
Solanke went on to lift over a golden opportunity for his hat-trick but, at the other end, a clean sheet represented Bournemouth's first against the Sky Blues in 13 meetings - a sequence stretching back to 1962.
Coventry's Mark Robins: "We started off brightly and created chances that we didn't take. They stuck their first chance in and then stuck their second chance in and it was game over. When you're playing against top teams, you have to take your chances when they are presented to you. If you don't and they take their first two, then it changes their mentality and belief systems. The supporters aren't as anxious either and, with players like they have, if you give them a sniff, they grow in confidence and we have no divine right to win football matches because we've created more chances.
"They were in the Premier League a couple of seasons ago and look like they will be going back there. They work phenomenally hard out of possession and, in possession, they have players who can take the game away from you. With Solanke, you're taking about a £17 million player and his movement and power was there for everybody to see."
Bournemouth's Scott Parker: "It was a ruthless performance. We had three shots on target and scored three goals and they all came at great times for us. The first half was very difficult and we had to weather the storm against a very good side, but we were clinical in our moments because, when the chances came our way, we buried them. We knew what they are about and what we were up against - they've put seven goals past Fulham over the course of two games and beat Sheffield United 4-1 recently and the game didn't look like we would have liked in the first half in terms of asserting ourselves against them.
"But, sometimes, when you're in that arena, it can be like that and, when it is, it's not about being tactical or technical, it's about digging in and getting to half-time to regroup. Even during that first half we defended set-plays well but, at half-time, we fixed a few things to help the players and we have kept three clean sheets in a row and this was one against a team who are renowned for scoring late goals."
