Coventry end Blackburn’s unbeaten start with comprehensive victory

Coventry ended Blackburn’s unbeaten start to the Sky Bet Championship season with a 3-0 win at the CBS Arena.

Jake Bidwell opened the scoring with his first goal since April before Haji Wright doubled the lead after half-time.

Brandon Thomas-Asante then put the match to bed in the closing stages.

It was a much-needed win for the Sky Blues, who sat just outside the relegation zone after just one win in seven this season, including a 3-0 defeat to Leeds on Saturday.

Blackburn had not conceded for over six hours when Bidwell met Jack Rudoni’s corner and powered his header into the top corner after 11 minutes.

Rovers almost struck back immediately with a set-piece of their own as former Sky Blue Dom Hyam saw his header cleared off the line by Liam Kitching.

Mark Robins’ side had lost five of their previous six home games, as many as they had in the previous 37 outings at the CBS Arena, and piled the pressure on Blackburn as they went in search of a second

Mason Ephron-Clark’s low effort was spilled by Aynsley Pears before the Rovers stopper was able to gather at the second attempt, while Thomas-Asante’s effort also had to be saved.

Ben Sheaf’s audacious effort had Pears scrambling but narrowly missed the far corner before Rudoni’s powerful low drive was palmed to safety.

It was a first half marred by an early injury to Coventry winger Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, who was stretchered off in the first 10 minutes with a serious-looking knee injury after a collision with Tyrhys Dolan.

Coventry wasted no time in grabbing their deserved second after the break.

Dolan’s backpass put Hyam under pressure, and the defender’s rushed pass across the box was latched onto by Wright.

The American made no mistake by cutting inside and thumped in his third of the season.

Kitching very nearly made it three when he lifted Wright’s cross over the bar.

Blackburn had scored 14 goals in their seven-game unbeaten run to start the season and showed their attacking prowess when Coventry failed to clear and Andreas Weimann’s effort at point blank range was kept out by Ben Wilson.

Hyam’s miserable return to the west midlands was almost compounded when he deflected Rudoni’s cross onto his own crossbar after a brilliant, free-flowing move involving all of the Sky Blues front line.

Thomas-Asante had not stopped running all evening and added the gloss to the scoreline in the final stages as he was fed by Ephron-Clark and squeezed his shot under Pears to extend Coventry’s unbeaten run over Blackburn to eight matches.