Kevin Keegan would never admit as much, but it would take an extraordinary
slice of injustice for Manchester City not to be playing Premiership football
next season.
Another rousing display and another clinical dismantling of a team who
actually arrived at Maine Road searching for their fifth win in six games.
City produced a first half Keegan would have been proud of in his pomp at
Newcastle to end the match as a contest and close the gap on Wolves at the top
of the First Division to five points.
A double from Shaun Wright-Phillips added to earlier efforts from Danny Tiatto
and Darren Huckerby - against his old club - as Maine Road again produced a
flurry of goals.
Lee Mills did manage his own double, the second of which was merely a
consolation, but City were clear and confident winners.
Indeed with two games in hand and a seemingly straightforward run-in, City
could well have wrapped up promotion by the time they visit Molineux on April
1.
City's eighth win in 10 games was set up firstly by the returning Eyal
Berkovic.
After winning the ball on the halfway line, the Israeli fed a delightful ball
through for Huckerby, a former Coventry player, who lofted a cool finish beyond
the advancing Tim Flowers for his 11th goal of the season.
The 25-year-old, who looked dangerous throughout, should have opened the
scoring 10 minutes earlier. But, after Colin Healy's stray back pass, Huckerby
dragged his shot wide when the hard work seemed to have been done.
City had begun at a pace, and it was a surprise when the visitors struck back
after 19 minutes when Mills struck a low shot which deflected off Steve Howey
and beyond Nicky Weaver.
But with City surging forward relentlessly, it was only a matter of time
before order was restored and so it proved in the 35th minute as Australian
Danny Tiatto saw his 25-yard effort bounce off Sky Blues skipper Gary Breen and
into the back of the net.
With Wolves winning again yesterday, Keegan knew a win was essential to
maintain the pressure as the First Division title race reaches the home
straight.
Despite starting with just Lee Hughes up front, Coventry were not just here to
make up the numbers and were looking to bolster their own promotion ambitions.
But against their hosts today they looked decidedly inferior, and four minutes
before half-time Wright-Phillips made it three when his long-range effort was
turned past Tim Flowers by defender Marcus Hall.
The second half opened at a much slower pace, and did not enjoy an incident of
note before City settled the game just after the hour.
Put through by the marauding Huckerby, Shaun Goater tried to take the ball
past Flowers, but the veteran managed to block the ball to Wright-Phillips, who
lifted a simply delightful lob into the back of the net.
Mills' header after Hughes' cross reduced the deficit to two a couple of
minutes from time.
But with Wright-Phillips for once overshadowing Goater as City's spearhead and
Ali Benarbia orchestrating everything from midfield, the result was seldom in
doubt.
Teams
Man City: Weaver, Pearce (Jihai 76), Mettomo (Ritchie 76),
Howey, Wright-Phillips, Berkovic (Jensen 26), Horlock,
Benarbia, Tiatto, Goater, Huckerby.
Subs Not Used: Nash, Killen.
Booked: Goater.
Goals: Huckerby 15, Tiatto 35, Wright-Phillips 42, 71.
Coventry: Flowers, Quinn (Bothroyd 45), Konjic, Breen, Hall,
Chippo, Betts, Safri, Healy, Mills, Hughes.
Subs Not Used: Montgomery, Shaw, Guerrero, Joachim.
Booked: Safri.
Goals: Mills 19, 88.
Att: 33,335
Ref: M Pike (Barrow-in-Furness).
E-mail Article 
Print-Friendly
Subscribe to RSS Feed 
Post to del.icio.us
Facebook