Key events
Half time: Sunderland 0-0 Coventry (agg 2-1)
Coventry have reason to believe, having carved out a couple of clear chances – but it’s Sunderland who still hold the advantage, and they look capable of adding to it. It’s very much up for grabs. More soon.
47 mins: Mason-Clark tangles with Roberts and gets penalised, much to the Coventry man’s bemusement.
45 mins: There will be three added minutes.
44 mins: Another Coventry corner is cleared away, but it’s worked back to Dasilva, whose cross is headed down by Rudoni … but it rises over the bar! The referee had signalled for a push, in fact, so it wouldn’t have counted.
43 mins: Sakamoto puts in a cross which is cleared, and Sunderland threaten to break away – but Sakamoto himself gets back to deny Isidor. He’s been everywhere in this half.
41 mins: We resume, and Bellingham wins the ball in midfield before finding Le Fee, whose low cross is misdirected.
38 mins: Chance! This is probably the best chance for either side. Mason-Clark heads across goal and Rudoni gets to the bouncing ball ahead of Anthony Patterson, but prods his effort over the bar! The Sunderland keeper needs treatment after the players collide.
37 mins: Coventry counter again, Mason-Clark getting free down the left – but he tries to find Rudoni alongside him rather than cross, and Sunderland regroup.
36 mins: Jobe Bellingham passes forward to Dan Neil, who strides upfield but can’t find the killer pass.
35 mins: End-to-end action here, as first Mayenda surges into the area but is denied by the retreating Thomas. At the other end, Rudoni collects a cross and mishits his shot. Sakamoto is able to get a boot on it, but can’t keep his effort down.
33 mins: Bobby Thomas is the fourth player in Andy Madley’s book already, and there’s a long way to go.
32 mins: The free kick causes some serious flutters in the home defence, with Patterson failing to connect as he tries to punch clear. Sakamoto’s clever cross back across goal almost lands at Rudoni’s feet – but then Thomas fouls Roberts to kill the momentum.
31 mins: Coventry are moving forward with more purpose now, and after Rudoni’s near-post cross is cleared, Patrick Roberts trips Sheaf to concede a free kick and collect a booking.
30 mins: Le Fee is almost able to thread the needle and find Mayenda, but Thomas pokes the ball away from danger.
29 mins: Grimes’ corner is headed half-clear by Hume, but the Sunderland defence spring out to surround Sakamoto, who sends a hasty shot well wide.
27 mins: Ballard concedes a free kick as Wright topples over. Coventry take it quickly, seeking to free Mason-Clark down the left. He wins a throw-in, from which Ballard has to awkwardly clear at the near post for a corner …
26 mins: Enzo Le Fee ends a spell of Coventry possession with a well-timed challenge; I can almost see the MoTD highlight reel showing he “doesn’t just score goals” next season already.
23 mins: Ben Sheaf goes in the book for a hefty midfield challenge, and complains at length about the decision.
22 mins: It’s Wilson on Wilson as Isidor briefly collides with the Coventry keeper, then rolls around as if he’s been shot. All a bit tedious, and the referee isn’t buying it.
21 mins: Mayenda slaloms past his marker and fires in a shot from a narrow angle that Ben Wilson has to parry away. The ball is lofted towards Isidor at the back post, but he can’t steer a tricky header on target.
20 mins: Coventry are bossing possession but it’s all in front of the Sunderland defence – and now Sakamoto gets penalised for a foul throw. The indignity!
18 mins: Coventry win a corner, Ballard clearing behind under pressure from Rudoni. Dan Neil clears the first delivery away but it ends up with Rudoni, who is shepherded away from goal by Cirkin.
16 mins: Mason-Clark, who is operating on the left with Haji Wright in the middle, cuts inside and fires a shot that’s well struck, but straight at Patterson.
14 mins: An ambitious long diagonal ball from Coventry is headed back to the keeper by Hume.
12 mins: Sunderland are just quicker to the loose balls, the 50-50s, etc so far. Sakamoto and Sheaf do well to break up an attack here, though.
11 mins: Wilson Isidor pounces on a loose ball and hurls himself over as Kitching steps across him. He’s booked for a dive, which looks a good call at first viewing.
10 mins: Ephron Mason-Clark, who replaces Thomas-Asante in the only Coventry change, gets into space on the left side of the area, but can’t find a colleague in cyan and the ball is cleared.
8 mins: Coventry haven’t been able to make a dent in Sunderland’s well-drilled back line yet. But it’s early.
“Is it just me or does Regis Le Bris look like he could be former Sunderland manager Chris Coleman’s stressed-out cousin?” asks Peter Oh. I can see the resemblance; Coleman managed both these clubs, and was pretty stressed for most of those tenures.
6 mins: Van Ewijk slips in the box, allowing Enzo Le Fee to chest down and shoot – but his effort flies over the bar.
5 mins: Marginal gains dept: it seems Sunderland have moved their advertising boards to stymie Coventry’s long throw weaponry – and the visitors also found the heating turned up in their dressing room earlier.
3 mins: Ben Sheaf tries to pick his way through the Sunderland midfield but is dispossessed. Every interception is being greeted with huge cheers.
2 mins: Coventry, in their traditional sky blue, are caught offside on their first foray upfield. It’ll be interesting to see if the hosts stick to their first-leg game plan and sit back early on here.
Kick off
The home fans have unfurled a massive, black cat tifo emblazoned with the words “Till The End”. I’m sure they’d rather get it done in 90 minutes.
Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA
In playoff history, 10 teams of 64 who lost the first leg at home were able to turn it around … including Frank Lampard’s Derby County in 2019.
Regis the bris: “We expect a tough game, we are halfway there … the crowd will be behind us, they can help through difficult moments.”
Frank Lampard: “We’ll play the game in front of us … we know how the first leg went, it’s fresh in our mind. We want to play how we’ve been playing in the second half of the season.”
Here’s how Sheffield United booked their place at Wembley:
Team news
Sunderland (4-4-2): Patterson; Hume, Ballard, O’Nien, Cirkin; Roberts, Neil, Bellingham, Le Fee; Mayenda, Isidor.
Subs: Moore, Brownne, Rigg, Mundle, Abdul Samed, Mepham, Hjelde, Watson, Jones.
Coventry (4-2-3-1): Wilson; van Ewijk, Thomas, Kitching, Dasilva; Grimes, Sheaf; Sakamoto, Rudoni, Wright; Mason-Clark.
Subs: Collins, Binks, Allen, Simms, Paterson, Bidwell, Thomas-Asante,
Latibeaudiere, Eccles.
Referee: Andrew Madley (West Yorkshire)
Preamble
Coventry City haven’t played in the Premier League since 2001; Sunderland fell out of the top flight in 2017 and are yet to return. Both clubs have, to different degrees, been through troubled times since, but now the golden ticket is in reach again.
Chris Wilder and his Sheffield United side are the final-level boss waiting at Wembley’s gates, but only one team will get to take them on. Sunderland have a clear edge after winning 2-1 at the CBS Arena last week, but the playoffs are rarely so straightforward.
Will Frank Lampard continue his impressive run, taking Coventry from relegation fears to the playoff final? Or will Régis Le Bris back up his claims that Sunderland’s beach-worthy late league form would improve when it counted?
There’s only one way to find out. Join me for kick-off at 8pm BST, with team news to come.
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