Sheffield United Vs Coventry: Sky Blues hit back to go five points clear
Coventry moved five points clear at the top after fighting back to beat Sheffield United 2-1 at Bramall Lane in the sheffield united vs coventry fixture on Wednesday. Haji Wright and Jack Rudoni scored twice in five minutes after Harrison Burrows had given the Blades a deserved lead three minutes after the restart.
Sheffield United Vs Coventry drama
The match at Bramall Lane saw Harrison Burrows run on to Gus Hamer's clever reverse pass and see his shot deflected into the roof of the net to give Sheffield United a deserved lead three minutes after the restart. Coventry responded quickly: Haji Wright stepped inside on the left edge of the Blades' area and fired home a right-footed shot — his 14th league goal of the season — equalising four minutes after Coventry had fallen behind. Jack Rudoni then headed home Ephron Mason-Clark's cross to seal Coventry's comeback and their third straight win.
Key incidents and chances
The game featured a string of chances and contentious moments. Gus Hamer produced a dangerous low cross that was parried wide by Coventry goalkeeper Carl Rushworth and, from the resulting corner, Andre Brooks saw a shot deflected narrowly off target. Rushworth also held Burrows' thumping effort. Coventry had to wait 15 minutes before they first threatened when Rudoni's cut-back was scrambled clear. Chances for Haji Wright and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto were snuffed out at various stages, Patrick Bamford fired straight at Rushworth from inside the penalty area, Djibril Soumare lashed a shot over the crossbar and Callum O'Hare headed Burrows' free-kick wide. The Blades were furious just before half-time when referee John Busby was unmoved after Femi Seriki went down in the area under an Ephron Mason-Clark challenge.
Coventry's title bid
Coventry have regained momentum after a run that saw them win only twice in eight games earlier in the season; they had held a 10-point lead at the top in November but were knocked off top spot by Middlesbrough earlier this month. The comeback at Bramall Lane moves Frank Lampard's side five points clear at the summit as they press for a top-flight return for the first time in 25 years. The Blades remain nine points adrift of the play-off places.
Wednesday's wider Championship results
Four Championship matches took place on Wednesday: Millwall 3-0 Birmingham, Norwich 2-0 Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United 1-2 Coventry, and Stoke 2-1 Oxford United. Millwall beat Birmingham 3-0 with goals from Femi Azeez, Tristan Crama and Jake Cooper before Jhon Solís was sent off for the Blues. Millwall moved up the table and closed to within four points of second-placed Middlesbrough.
Norwich, Stoke and Sheffield Wednesday
Norwich beat rock-bottom Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 at Carrow Road, with Mathias Kvistgaarden and Paris Maghoma getting the goals for Philippe Clement's side. Norwich moved eight points clear of the relegation zone and were described as being within six points of the top half. Sheffield Wednesday suffered an 11th straight Championship defeat at Carrow Road on the day their proposed takeover fell through. Owls boss Henrik Pedersen said that the players had played for the shirt and for the long-traveling fans, that the day felt like a last moment together to thank supporters, and that he had heard about the consortium only like other employees at the club; he added that the administrator should have a plan B so the club can move quickly to the next step and he looked forward to further progress.
Stoke victory and post-match reaction
Stoke beat Oxford United 2-1. Lamine Cissé opened the scoring for the hosts before Ciaron Brown levelled on the stroke of half-time, and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, on loan from Crystal Palace, then scored his first goal for Stoke to secure all three points. Stoke rose to 13th with 47 points while Oxford remained second-bottom and six points from safety. Stoke manager Mark Robins praised Cissé, saying he had to wait for a chance at the start of the season because the team had been playing well, that Cissé looks like he is enjoying himself and took the goal expertly because he had a lot of time to think about it; Robins added that Cissé put opponents under pressure, stretched their defenders, was out on his feet at the end and that the finish was lethal, while noting the team had too many chances going begging.
Millwall manager Alex Neil said his side had to be "absolutely on it" to get a result, praising his players for following instructions, calling the performance excellent and describing it as entertaining, high-octane going forward with lots of tackles — the sort of display he expects at the Den. Coverage of the Wednesday action was provided by Glenn Speller, Alex Hoad and Lennan Tomlins.
Coventry's comeback at Bramall Lane, combined with Millwall, Norwich and Stoke wins, left the Championship table reshaped and left several clubs with clear tasks for the run-in.
