Nottingham Forest vs Coventry City. Sky Bet Championship.
The City GroundAttendance28,977.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Nottingham Forest and Coventry at the City Ground as goals from Brennan Johnson and James Garner sealed victory for Steve Cooper's side.
Wednesday 6 April 2022 22:57, UK
Nottingham Forest battled to a fourth consecutive Sky Bet Championship win and climbed into the play-off places with a 2-0 victory over Coventry at the City Ground.
Steve Cooper's side had to work hard for their win but Brennan Johnson's 15th goal of the season and a well-taken strike from James Garner, either side of half-time, put them on course for a precious three points.
Coventry made it an even contest and Mark Robins will feel his side deserved more as their own top-six ambitions were dealt a blow after a fourth game without a win.
Forest made the brighter start but it was Victor Gyokeres who had the first sight of goal, shooting wide from Coventry's first meaningful attack.
When space opened up in front of Forest full-back Djed Spence, he surged into the penalty area but his attempted cut-back to Philip Zinckernagel was cut out.
Callum O'Hare tested Forest keeper Brice Samba with a low shot that was well held, with Coventry continuing to look a threat on the break.
Zinckernagel appealed for handball when Jake Bidwell slid in to block his shot on the edge of the box, but it would have been harsh on the defender. O'Hare then lofted a clever effort narrowly over the bar.
Forest took the lead in the 24th minute after Keinan Davis found Jack Colback on the left. His cross was fired right across the face of goal and, just as Coventry looked as though they would keep it out at the far post, Johnson dragged the ball back and lifted it high into the back of the net from close range.
Goalkeeper Simon Moore took two attempts to hold a driven shot from Zinckernagel as Forest looked to extend their lead.
Zinckernagel then attempted a spectacular volley that was always off target, before Davis did brilliantly to leave two Coventry defenders in his wake on a 20-yard run only to miss the target by some distance with a shot.
Samba was forced to make a strong save to keep out a long-range effort from Ben Sheaf as Coventry sought a leveller.
Yates shot wide as Forest pushed again - and the second goal was not long in coming. More brilliant work from Davis saw him lay the ball into the path of the rampaging Garner, who lashed an emphatic finish beyond Moore to make it 2-0 in the 61st minute.
Forest wanted a penalty when Fankaty Dabo appeared to obstruct Davis in the area, but referee Tim Robinson was not convinced.
Sub Lewis Grabban lashed wide as Forest looked to make certain of the win.
Nottingham Forest's Steve Cooper: "It was a really important win, that is the headline for me. It was a challenging game, tactically. They way they set up does really test you positionally. I know Coventry are a rival, but I have a lot of respect for the way they play and the way they have stuck to that, over the years. They test you. We had to be positionally right and, in general, we were. But we turned the ball over too much in the first half, we did not make enough passes and took too many touches, so we never got fluidity. When we did, the goals were excellent.
"Brennan did excellent in a manic moment, showing great composure for the first goal. I thought we were better in the second half and created enough good moments to get the second goal. We saw out a challenging game fairly comfortably. It was an important win, with some really good bits - and some things we need to address. A clean sheet, two goals… there were loads of positives. But I am always going to want more."
Coventry's Mark Robins: "I don't think we were unlucky, it was that we did not take our chances when we needed to. When you are playing against a top team, they keep going. Forest have beaten Arsenal, Leicester and were unlucky against Liverpool (in the FA Cup). I have not seen too many teams do what we have done to them. We are a really good side, but you look at it and think 'he has taken off Keinan Davis and Brennan Johnson - a £20m forward - and brought Sam Surridge and Lewis Grabban on.
"Then Joe Lolley comes on, who I had at Huddersfield so I know his quality. We have really good quality, but what we do not have is the quality to and be ruthless all of the time. We are ruthless some of the time - we do have that - but we do not do it all of the time. Forest have that. They can be ruthless because they have that extra little bit of quality. That is the difference between the two teams at the moment."
