Cardiff moved to within a point of the Championship leaders after a goal in each half gave them a 2-0 victory and left manager Dave Jones satisfied.

Anthony Gerrard headed home in the fifth minute for his first goal for the club and Peter Whittingham finished off the Sky Blues with a penalty in the 59th minute.

Jones said: "We played percentage football without frills but we also had to make sure that everyone did their jobs.

"They had a good spell after we scored but we handled that and I always felt that we could score more goals.

"Perhaps we should have scored more but it was hard out there on a wet night and we had to be careful as the ball was zipping about.

"It was a good defensive performance and David Marshall had to make one superb save. We couldn't switch off even after Peter Whittingham scored from the spot for a second goal.

"He doesn't get the credit he deserves as he works hard every game but now he is being rewarded by the goals he has scored."

Whittingham has netted in the last five matches and already has nine for the season.

Once Gerrard had powered a header into the roof of the net from Stephen McPhail's cross it looked as though the Bluebirds would run out easy winners.

However, the Sky Blues stormed back and Clinton Morrison fired in a goalbound shot which Marshall turned round the post at full stretch.

The penalty came after Michael Chopra and Jay Bothroyd had shots cleared off the line but referee Mike Russell spotted a handball from Coventry captain Stephen Wright for Whittingham to double the lead.

Chopra beat the offside trap but his lob struck the crossbar and was cleared. Cardiff were well worth the victory that keeps them up amongst the pacesetters.

Coventry manager Chris Coleman was unhappy with his side's defeat as he said: "I was disappointed with the last 15 or 20 minutes but we were up against a very good team.

"We are making defensive errors and it has cost us tonight. It seems like we have to score two or three goals to win a game but we are not doing that and we have only kept two clean sheets.

"We have a lot of players injured and it is all going against us but we are adding to our problems by making mistakes.

"You can't give away two goals and expect to get back into the game and defensively we have to be better."