For Aston Villa, an overdue drama-free outing as Unai Emery’s side cruised into the Carabao Cup fourth round courtesy of a Tammy Abraham double and a Ross Barkley header. The satisfaction was detectable in Emery’s voice as he reflected on a night of positives: Abraham’s first goals of the season, Ibrahim Mbaye’s encouraging full debut and another half-hour for the £52m club-record signing, Johan Manzambi. Are things clicking into gear after a summer of changes?
Unfortunately for Coventry, it was a sorry case of more of the same. Frank Lampard’s side have lost five of their six matches in all competitions, across which they have leaked 15 goals. It was hard to know whether Abraham’s tap-in or Barkley’s free header, both from corners, was worse from a Coventry perspective.
The sight of Lampard hunched in the dugout, hands clasped, has become a familiar sight. Lampard’s side, who have lost their opening league four matches by an aggregate of 10-0 and on Saturday visit Nottingham Forest hoping for lift-off, are yet to score outside this competition. Victor Torp’s sweet free-kick from the edge of Villa’s 18-yard box, to cancel out Abraham’s opener, represented Coventry’s first goal since Torp capped the scoring at Plymouth in the previous round.
This victory earned Villa a fourth-round trip to Bournemouth at the end of October. This was the first competitive meeting between these sides since 5 May 2001, when Coventry’s initial 34-year stay in the top flight came to an end with a 3-2 defeat at Villa Park. When Aurèle Amenda limped off with a calf injury after 10 minutes, Bobby Thomas, wearing the captain’s armband, was the only player left of the starting lineup from Sunday’s 5-0 home defeat against Brighton.
Emery made seven changes himself and George Hemmings, one of those to keep their place, was the architect for Villa’s opener. Matteo Ruggeri fed Hemmings down the left and the 19-year-old sent a sumptuous pass into Abraham with the outside of his right boot. Coventry struggled to retain possession and Villa were enjoying themselves, exchanging crisp, clean passes.
But then Barkley was penalised for fouling Caleb Yirenkyi on the edge of the Villa box and Torp stepped up to lift the subsequent free-kick over the Villa wall. John McGinn, the Villa captain reduced to the role of draught excluder, picked himself up from the turf. Suddenly Coventry were full of confidence, a little giddy.
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