Sunderland's concerning recent record against Coventry City broken down

It’s the Championship play-off semi-final draw that most Sunderland fans were desperately hoping to avoid - and perhaps with good reason.

Coventry City’s final day victory over Middlesbrough, combined with Bristol City dropping points against Preston North End, means that Regis Le Bris and his side will travel to the CBS Arena on Friday evening before hosting Frank Lampard’s men for a second leg showdown at the Stadium of Light next Tuesday.

And the Black Cats’ recent record against the Sky Blues leaves a lot to be desired. The good news is that over the course of the 10 meetings that the two clubs have had since 2018, Sunderland have only lost five. The bad news is that they have drawn the remaining quintet of contests, and have not beaten Coventry since February 2007. We’ve taken a closer look at the Black Cats’ last 10 outings against their play-off opponents below...

Coventry City 1-1 Sunderland, September 29th 2018

A first clash between the two sides in some eleven-and-a-half years following Sunderland’s relegation to League One, the Black Cats took a second-half lead through Lee Cattermole, but were unable to hang on for all three points.

Sunderland 4-5 Coventry City, April 13th 2019

An absolute thriller at the Stadium of Light later that very same season, but one that Sunderland ultimately found themselves on the wrong end of. The Black Cats suffered a major blow to their automatic promotion hopes after conceding a decisive goal in the 78th minute on Wearside, with George Honeyman, Charlie Wyke, Will Grigg, and Max Power all on the score sheet for the hosts.

Sunderland 1-1 Coventry City, November 23rd 2019

A much more mundane affair early the following campaign, but one in which Sunderland still had to rely on a last gasp effort from substitute Benji Kimpioka to rescue a point on home soil.

Coventry City 1-0 Sunderland, March 1st 2020

With the global pandemic only just around the corner, Coventry moved to the top of League One courtesy of a goal inside the opening two minutes to deal yet another blow to Sunderland’s hopes of escaping from the third tier. At the end of the season, the Sky Blues would secure a spot in the Championship.

Sunderland 1-1 Coventry City, July 31st 2022

Newly-promoted, Sunderland were once again undone by a late Coventry goal when the two sides met for their first Championship encounter since 2007. Jack Clarke had given the Black Cats the lead, but Viktor Gyokeres - now of Sporting CP - struck back.

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Coventry City 2-1 Sunderland, February 25th 2023

Coventry scored a goal in each half to open up a commanding lead, and ultimately Amad Diallo’s stoppage time strike would prove to be nothing more than a consolation for Tony Mowbray’s side.

Coventry City 0-0 Sunderland, August 26th 2023

An early season clash in the Midlands that didn’t live long in the memory, Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson and former Black Cats prospect Ben Wilson were the heroes of the hour as they both kept impressive clean sheets.

Sunderland 0-3 Coventry City, December 23rd 2023

A very unwelcome early Christmas present for Michael Beale, who began his doomed Sunderland tenure with a sound beating at the Stadium of Light. Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham was watching on from the stands that day, and was presumably unimpressed with what he saw from a lacklustre Black Cats showing.

Sunderland 2-2 Coventry City, November 9th 2024

Perhaps the closest Sunderland have come to beating Coventry in any of the 10 most recent attempts, the Black Cats had opened up a healthy two-goal lead thanks to sublime strikes from Dennis Cirkin and Wilson Isidor, but would lose both Romaine Mundle and Alan Browne in one particularly unfortunate passage of play, and then unravelled entirely, with their visitors equalising in the 84th minute.

Coventry 0-3 Sunderland, March 15th 2025

The most recent clash between the two clubs, and the one that probably worries Sunderland fans the most. The Black Cats never really laid a glove on their hosts at the CBS Arena, and have won just two matches since.

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