Coventry City vs Swansea City; Sky Bet Championship
Coventry City vs Swansea City. Sky Bet Championship.
The Coventry Building Society ArenaAttendance30,139.
Coventry City 1-0 Swansea City: Ephron Mason-Clark sends Sky Blues eight points clear
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Coventry City and Swansea City at the Coventry Building Society Arena on Boxing Day; Ephron Mason-Clark scores only goal as Frank Lampard's Sky Blues further extend their lead at the top.
Friday 26 December 2025 19:15, UK
Leaders Coventry stretched their lead at the top of the Sky Bet Championship to eight points following a hard-fought 1-0 win over Swansea.
Ephron Mason-Clark's emphatic finish just before half-time was enough to give the Sky Blues a ninth home Championship win of the season.
But the usually free-scoring Sky Blues were made to work hard for the points and were perhaps somewhat fortunate to have found themselves in front at half-time.
The resolute visitors had done a fine job in keeping the hosts quiet but were undone a minute before the break by Mason-Clark's opener.
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It failed to spark Coventry into life with the hosts fading once again after a good spell of pressure early in the second half.
It was the visitors who enjoyed the best of the second-half chances and could well have snatched a point with better finishing after both Liam Cullen and Melker Widell wasted good chances to equalise.
It leaves City - who are unbeaten at home this season - with a commanding 13-point cushion on the chasing pack as they look to bring Premier League football to Coventry for the first time in 25 seasons.
Eom Ji-sung had a shot comfortably saved by Carl Rushworth as the visitors started on the front foot.
Liam Kitching made an excellent goal-saving block to deny Zan Vipotnik after nine minutes.
Marko Stamenic went into the book for a late foul on Jack Rudoni a minute later.
Rushworth blocked a dangerous Eom cross on minutes as the visitors continued to look comfortable.
Ellis Simms saw a header brilliantly saved by Lawrence Vigouroux from Tatsuhiro Sakamoto's 38th-minute cross.
Mason-Clark then saw his follow-up effort blocked before Matt Grimes smashed wide.
Ronald failed to make the most of a good chance for the visitors after firing hight and wide when there were better options available.
But Mason-Clark put the Sky Blues ahead with an emphatic finish a minute before the break after Milan van Ewijk's long throw was flicked on.
Vigouroux got down well to save a well-hit shot from Victor Torp in the opening minutes of the second half.
Coventry kept up the pressure on the Swans after winning a succession of quick corners.
The lively Mason-Clark had a shot blocked on the hour before Vigouroux saved Sakamoto's follow-up just after the hour.
Widell saw a shot blocked during a rare break by the Swans following Zeidane Inoussa's cross.
Cullen wasted a great chance for the visitors after failing to find the target while in plenty of space in the 71st minute.
Widell could only pick out the keeper when a brilliant pass by Malick Yalcouye cut open the Coventry defence.
The managers
Coventry's Frank Lampard:
"Over the course of the season there are games you play where everything goes in and others where you have chances and it doesn't quite drop or go in.
"We had chances to get that second goal but it didn't quite fall. We were not as good today as we usually are off the ball.
"We were more passive today and we gave them the feeling that they could play. They are a good team and they can play and find passes through us. We had to address that at half-time and we did that in the second half.
"We had to find other parts of our game today and keep a clean sheet. They gave us a tough game and I am really pleased with the result."
Swansea's Vitor Matos:
"It was a positive performance. There are always things we can improve on and one area is how clinical we are with our finishing.
"Coventry are a good team and are top of the league. You know when you go against a team like that you need to take your chances. It was the same against Stoke.
"When we dominate and have chances, we have to make it count. Their goal came from the moment we were not dominant and that is something we need to learn from."
