Coventry scored twice in a dramatic final to deny AFC Bournemouth the chance to reclaim first place in the Championship.
Leaders Fulham’s 1-1 draw at Preston earlier in the day had opened the door for the Cherries and they appeared to be on their way to capitalizing with only five minutes remaining.
On the stroke of half-time, Jaidon Anthony’s opening was fortunate in that his cross escaped everyone to hit the far corner but he followed up with a wonderful center for Philip Billing to nudge home the second.
Last man Jefferson Lerma, on the other hand, earned a straight red card for tackling Sky Blues attacker Matty Godden, who equalized 17 minutes later by converting a loose ball in the box.
In the fifth minute of additional time, Todd Kane equalized with a lofted cross-shot over Mark Travers to maintain the Sky Blues in fifth place while Bournemouth remained second, a point behind the Cottagers.
The opponents’ Fulham and West Bromwich Albion both drawing, the Cherries late collapse looks to have caused a little harm but they will count it as two points dropped.
They dominated a dreary first half pushing Simon Moore into a save and Ryan Christie firing just wide from 30 yards before Anthony’s stroke of luck broke the deadlock.
On his return from a one-match ban, Billing’s precise volley appeared to have put the game out of reach for Coventry. Although he had struck the side netting after rounding Moore minutes earlier.
Both before and immediately after Lerma’s punishment for tripping Godden as he came in on goal, the Cherries were penalized for not capitalizing on their second-half advantage.
Takeaways from the AFC Bournemouth Game
Following the red card, Bournemouth’s 15-goal top scorer Dominic Solanke was denied one-on-one by Moore, while Kyle McFadzean’s 100th appearance for the club saw a header cleared off the line by Kyle McFadzean.
Godden scored when Travers parried a Liam Kelly cross and Kane, in a similar way to Anthony, swung a lucky finish over the goal from out wide.
Bournemouth, who face Fulham in a top-of-the-table clash on Friday, have won only one of their last five games, while Coventry drew for the third time in a row to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Post Match Interviews by Both Managers
Scott Parker spoke to BBC Radio stating:
“It’s a hard one, a painful one. I’ve been involved in a few in my time in terms of disappointments and football has a habit sometimes of kicking you where you don’t want to be kicked.
“I’m devastated for the players first and foremost because I thought the game was everything we wanted it to be before the sending-off really – we were dominant, controlled the game in every aspect, in possession and out.”
“We were so dominant. We have got an injury crisis here with a lot of players missing and that’s why I’m devastated for the players because I thought they were outstanding and we looked every bit a top team. Our team deserved to win that game. If that game stays with 11 men, it’s a comfortable victory for us.”
While Mark Robins spoke to the press stating:
“In the end it was a brilliant point after going two goals down – and the goals we conceded weren’t great but we were playing against a top team, they are outstanding”.
“In the end it was a brilliant point after going two goals down – and the goals we conceded weren’t great but we were playing against a top team, they are outstanding”.
“We had to work really hard in the first half to try to keep them at bay and we had scant reward in terms of our attacking play although we still created two or three really good opportunities”.
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