Sunderland 0 Coventry 3: Highlights as Michael Beale loses first game plus Niall Huggins injury blow
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Sunderland were beaten 3-0 by Coventry in Michael Beale’s first match as head coach.
The Black Cats fell a goal down on the stroke of half time after Tatsuhiro Sakamoto opened the scoring.
Second-half goals from Callum O’Hare and Kasey Palmer then secured the win for the visitors, with Sunderland lacking a cutting edge up front.
Here's how the game played out:
Sunderland vs Coventry
What to make of those sides
So Beale has made one change to the Sunderland team following last weekend's defeat at Bristol City.
Jobe Bellingham returns to the starting XI in place of Alex Pritchard who misses out with an illness. Hemir is also ill and not involved, while Chris Rigg returns to the bench.
Coventry have made three changes following their 1-1 draw against Leeds last weekend. Jamie Allen, Haji Wright and Callum O'Hare return to the starting XI in place of Joel Latibeaudiere, Jay Dasilva and Josh Eccles.
Ellis Simms starts his fourth consecutive match for the Sky Blues.
3' How Sunderland have started
Sunderland have started with Ba up front, with Bellingham and Neil just behind him in midfield.
Ekwah is operating just in front of the back four.
7' Good pressing from Sunderland
Both sides are trying to play out from the back, yet Sunderland pressed well to win the ball back there.
O'Nien intercepted a pass after getting in front of Wright, before the ball was worked to Huggins on the right.
The full-back's low cross was blocked before the move fizzled out.
12' Ball out of play?
It looked like Sunderlan should have been awarded a corner there after Bellingham chased a forward pass which then appeared to go out of play off a Coventry defender. The referee waved play on though.
Sunderland have looked the more threatening side so far, without testing Collins in the visitors' goal.
19' A spell of Coventry pressure
Coventry are just starting to pose more of a threat with a spell of possession, with Sunderland dropping deeper.
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