Norwich City 2-1 Coventry City: Lampard's side stutter again in Championship title race

  /  autty

Coventry City were dealt a blow in the Championship title race after they lost 2-1 to Norwich City at Carrow Road.

Frank Lampard's side did go ahead before the break through Roman Esse, but second-half goals from Anis Ben Slimane and Ali Ahmed helped the Canaries turn things around, reducing Coventry's lead at the summit to just three points.

It was a strong start from the hosts, with Ben Slimane testing Carl Rushworth in the Coventry goal before Jose Cordoba struck the woodwork as the leaders found themselves under pressure early on.

However, it was the Sky Blues who took the lead after 38 minutes as Esse pounced on a loose ball in the box and fired low past the legs of Vladan Kovacevic.

Norwich nodded just 34 seconds to equalise in the second half when Ahmed played Ben Slimane through on goal, with the latter showing great composure to round Coventry goalkeeper Rushworth before slotting home.

It was then Coventry's turn to hit the frame of the goal, this time Ephron Mason-Clark crashed his header against the woodwork.

And it proved costly as Ahmed made a late run in the box to get on the end of Papa Diallo's cross, clinching all three points for Norwich in the 67th minute.

Data Debrief: Ahmed continues perfect start to life in Norwich

Ahmed made the switch to Norwich from the Vancouver Whitecaps earlier this month, and the 25-year-old has hit the ground running with two goals and two assists in his first three games for the Canaries.

Against Coventry, Ahmed recorded the most touches in the box for his side (six), attempted the most crosses (seven), won possession back eight times (joint-most with Kellen Fisher), and won five of his nine duels.

Coventry did win the expected goals (xG) battle 1.67 to 1.25, but there was little to separate the two sides as Norwich attempted 16 shots to Coventry's 15, each of them hitting the target five times. 

Related: Norwich City Coventry City Lampard
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