Championship: A Friday night classic in Coventry
Coventry City 3 - 2 Oxford United
Coventry City's striker Haji Wright secured the Sky Blues' first three Championship points of the season with a dramatic 96th-minute winner against newly promoted Oxford United.
Oxford, who had won both of their opening league and cup fixtures, twice came from behind, leaving them hopeful of extending their unbeaten start to the season.
After Wright’s initial headed goal, Oxford responded swiftly with an equaliser from Ciaron Brown. When Milan van Ewijk restored Coventry’s lead before half-time, Mark Harris brought Oxford level again with a close-range finish in the 55th minute.
However, the match took a final twist when Wright, making his first start following an injury-disrupted pre-season, capitalised on Will Vaulks' misplaced backpass. He rounded the goalkeeper to secure Coventry's first home win since early April.
A closer look at what happened
Coventry initially took the lead when Van Ewijk and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto combined brilliantly down the right flank. Van Ewijk’s precise cross found Wright, who powered a header into the net.
Coventry could have doubled their lead shortly after, but Ellis Simms misjudged Wright’s cross from the left, and the opportunity was wasted.
Oxford equalised in the 22nd minute after Coventry failed to clear a controversially awarded free-kick. The ball ricocheted off Simms’ shin and fell to visiting defender Brown, who instinctively fired a low left-footed shot just inside the post.
Coventry regained the lead after 31 minutes when Haji Wright's effort to create chaos down the left was halted. The ball skewed across the edge of the penalty area, where the quick-thinking Sakamoto cleverly let it run through to Van Ewijk, who was lurking behind. The Dutch defender then unleashed a powerful low right-footed shot, threading it through the legs of not one, but two Oxford defenders on its way into the net.
Wright nearly extended Coventry's lead at the far post, but his effort was blocked, a missed opportunity that proved costly. Ten minutes into the second half, Oxford equalised for the second time.
Cameron Brannagan delivered a cross from the left wing, and Ruben Rodrigues attempted a diving header from close to the ground. The ball flew towards Mark Harris, who, staying onside thanks to Coventry's last defender, managed to bundle it in off his groin.
Oxford's goalkeeper, Jamie Cumming, kept his team in the game with a series of vital saves. He leapt across his line to deny Coventry defender Luis Binks' header at the back post and later pulled off a brilliant double save, first from Wright and then from home debutant Ephron Mason-Clark.
A final twist in this Friday night classic always seemed likely. This came when Wright capitalised on a costly lapse in concentration.
