Taiwo Awoniyi finally has his first Premier League goal for Coventry City. The Nigeria forward scored in the 37th minute as Frank Lampard’s side beat bottom-of-the-table Sunderland 3-1 on Saturday, and the win lifted them out of the bottom three.
It was a relegation six-pointer and Coventry took control early. Tatsuhiro Sakamoto put them ahead in the 17th minute after a loose clearance from Trai Hume fell his way.
Then came Awoniyi’s moment. Sunderland captain Luke O’Nien lost the ball after a poor pass from Rigg, and Awoniyi ran through to finish past Robin Roefs. That made it 2-0 before the break.
Afterwards, he kept his focus on the result.
“I think the most important thing is the three points,” Awoniyi said.
He added that the plan was built around winning duels and pressing right after losing the ball, which is exactly how his goal came about.
Soon after the restart, Coventry made it three. Jack Rudoni’s shot deflected off Omar Alderete and beat Roefs in the 52nd minute.
Sunderland did get one back. Ethan Pinnock was penalised for handball in the 67th minute, and Enzo Le Fée sent Carl Rushworth the wrong way from the spot. However, the visitors never really threatened a comeback.
In fact, it got worse for them in stoppage time. Alderete picked up a second yellow card in the 90th minute plus nine, which left Sunderland with ten men.
Meanwhile, Awoniyi’s afternoon ended in the 72nd minute. Sidiki Cherif replaced him, and he got applause as he walked off.
The three points move Coventry to 15th, on nine points from nine games. As a result, they are out of the relegation zone for now. Sunderland stay bottom with five points.
The timing is significant for Awoniyi. This season has been rough so far, with a red card and a three-match ban in September. Because of that, a goal that also helps his club climb the table matters a lot.
It also puts him back in a good light before the next Super Eagles window. Chelle has options up front, but a striker who is scoring for his club is hard to ignore.
Coventry travel to Everton on 6 November, and they will want to keep this momentum going. For Awoniyi, the aim now is to show this goal was not a one-off.
