EPL Roundup: Awoniyi fires Coventry to victory as Manchester club stumble

Awoniyi celebrating his first league goal for Coventry

Nigerian forward Taiwo Awoniyi scored his first Premier League goal for Coventry City on Saturday, helping the newly promoted side secure a 3-1 home victory over Sunderland.

Awoniyi struck in the 37th minute to give Coventry a two-goal advantage after Tatsuhiro Sakakibara had opened the scoring in the 17th minute.

Jack Rudoni extended the lead seven minutes into the second half before Enzo Le Fee converted a penalty in the 67th minute to reduce the deficit for Sunderland.

The Nigerian striker was substituted in the 72nd minute, while compatriot Frank Onyeka was not included in Coventry’s matchday squad.

The victory ended Coventry’s run of consecutive defeats and moved them two points clear of the relegation zone.

Elsewhere, Ola Aina featured for Nottingham Forest in their 2-0 defeat away to Brentford. The defender was substituted at half-time as Forest suffered another setback in their battle to move away from the bottom end of the table.

Semi Ajayi played the full 90 minutes for Hull City in their 2-2 draw against Ipswich Town. The Nigerian defender received a yellow card in the 89th minute.

Manchester United’s difficult campaign continued with a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, further increasing the pressure on manager Michael Carrick.

The visitors were reduced to 10 men after Lisandro Martinez received a second yellow card in the 64th minute for an elbow on Wesley Fofana.

Chelsea capitalised on their numerical advantage, with Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer scoring in the second half to secure the victory.

The result extended United’s winless run in all competitions to nine matches, leaving them just one point above the relegation zone after nine league games.

Carrick admitted that the dismissal significantly affected his side’s chances.

“It has a major importance on the game,” he said. “A huge moment.”

Manchester City also suffered a disappointing afternoon, losing 1-0 at home to Brighton and Hove Albion.

Yasin Ayari scored the only goal in the 11th minute, punishing City’s defensive lapse from a dangerous cross.

The defeat was City’s second consecutive league loss, following their 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa. It also ended Erling Haaland’s scoring run of seven consecutive league matches.

Brighton, who lost to City on penalties in the Carabao Cup during the week, moved into third place on 19 points, two behind the leaders.

City remain top with 21 points, although Arsenal have an opportunity to draw level or move ahead when they face Liverpool on Sunday.

Nigerian youngster Zadok Yohanna, who recently returned to training, was not listed in Brighton’s squad.

Elsewhere, Bournemouth continued their strong start to the season with a 2-0 victory over Leeds United.

The win extended their run to six consecutive victories in all competitions without conceding a goal and lifted them to seventh place.

Meanwhile, Sunderland remained bottom after their defeat at Coventry, while Nottingham Forest stayed second from bottom following their loss at Brentford.

Tunde Eludini is a graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria where he studied International Relations. He is a Senior Correspondent coordinating the sports section for PREMIUM TIMES. Twitter: @tundeyeludini