Report | Swansea City 0 Coventry City 3
Swansea City’s long unbeaten home record game to an end as three goals in 11 frantic first-half minutes gave Coventry City all three points at the Swansea.com Stadium.
Brandon Thomas-Asante opened the scoring from the spot after the officials missed Ephron Mason-Clark losing his footing and adjudged that he had been fouled by Ben Cabango.
Matt Grimes’ strike from the edge of the area doubled the league leaders’ advantage, and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto made it 3-0 two minutes before the break.
But that barely told the story of the half, with Josh Tymon having hit the bar for the hosts in the early stages, with Goncalo Franco heading narrowly wide moments after the opener, and Melker Widell then thumped a strike against the post shortly after Coventry’s second goal.
After all that drama, the visitors were largely untroubled during the second period as they took another stride towards what looks increasingly likely to be a return to the Premier League.
The Swans showed three changes from the defeat at Wrexham as Widell, Jay Fulton and Jisung Eom came into the side as Marko Stamenic and Gustavo Nunes dropped to the bench, and Josh Key missed out through injury.
Coventry started the game with a lengthy spell of possession but Swansea quickly settled themselves and looked to have a great chance to open the scoring when Zan Vipotnik failed to make clean contact with an excellent Josh Tymon cross, but the offside flag was quickly up in any case.
They then crafted an excellent chance as Widell was allowed to escape into acres of space and lay the ball off for Tymon, who cracked a left-footed effort against the crossbar.
Swansea’s press then unsettled the visitors and Widell had a shot blocked after the ball had run his way in the wake of a loose pass from Carl Rushworth towards Grimes.
Coventry responded, and Ellis Simms ought to have done better when an inswinging cross left him one on one with Lawrence Vigouroux, as the former Everton forward’s cushioned volley proved too close to the keeper.
Cameron Burgess produced three excellent defensive headers and an important block as the Swans had to deal with numerous crosses and set-piece deliveries into the box.
But the away side opened the scoring when Ephron Mason-Clark was fouled in the box and Thomas-Asante beat Vigouroux from the spot.
Swansea should have levelled immediately. Eom worked room for a cross and his delivery was on the money for the arriving Franco, only for the midfielder to divert his header narrowly wide of the far post.
Instead the visitors doubled their lead when Swansea failed to clear near their own byline and the ball sat up nicely for Grimes to crack a volley in off the inside of the post.
Again Swansea had the chance to get a goal back instantly, with Widell getting beyond the last defender, beating Rushworth but seeing his strike bounce back out off the inside of the upright.
It got worse for Swansea when the home side again failed to clear their lines and Sakamoto saw his deflected shot bounce beyond Vigouroux.
That left the hosts facing a mountain to climb in the second half and Coventry controlled the early stages of the second half.
Simms and Thomas-Asante were unable to convert big chances to further extend their lead early in the second period.
Matos sent on Stamenic, Liam Cullen and Malick Yalcouye with 25 minutes to play, and the New Zealander attempted to lift the hosts with a crunching but fair challenge on Sakamoto.
Widell then produced a lovely run and pass to free Cullen, with the Wales international seeing his low shot saved by Rushworth.
Widell and Vipotnik then had further chances during the closing stages, but the visitors saw out the remainder of the contest to take the three points.
Swansea City: Lawrence Vigouroux; Ethan Galbraith (Marko Stamenic 67), Ben Cabango (captain), Cameron Burgess, Josh Tymon (Ishe Samuels-Smith 76); Jay Fulton (Malick Yalcouye 67), Goncalo Franco (Liam Cullen 67), Melker Widell; Ronald, Jisung Eom (Joel Ward 46), Zan Vipotnik.
Unused Substitutes: Andy Fisher, Gustavo Nunes, Leo Walta, Adam Idah.
Coventry City: Carl Rushworth, Jay Dasilva (Jake Bidwell 82), Bobby Thomas (Luke Woolfenden 82), Matt Grimes (captain), Tatsuhiro Sakamoto (Romain Esse 70), Ellis Simms, Ephron Mason-Clark (Jahnoah Markelo 70), Frank Onyeka, Joel Latibeaudiere, Brandon Thomas-Asante (Josh Eccles 62), Milan van Ewijk.
Unused Substitutes: Ben Wilson, Liam Kitching, Kaine Kesler-Hayden, Victor Torp.
Referee: Stephen Martin
Attendance: 17,732