Coventry City

Coventry City boss Frank Lampard, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "The players deserve it. It's really important for some of the players, for many of them it is their debut in the Premier League. They haven't been here before and they need to feel like they belong and play like that. They took on the game plan really well. I am delighted for the players to have that feeling.

"It's not a nice feeling [losing] albeit the Brighton result looks a bit better today after what they've done against Arsenal.

"There are lots of things we can learn and sometimes this year we may take those hits, it's a reality for teams that get to the Premier League. It's important we overcome them in terms of how we take it on board and stay together. It is easy to point in different directions when you lose but the groups really strong, really together, there'll have a good feeling from this one but we'll keep our feet on the ground because it is one win but it was needed for us."

On Jay Dasilva's goal: "He reminded me of Ashley Cole because he scored a few of those. And it was really good. The first touch was outstanding and the finish was outstanding and what a time to do it. He has been brilliant for us."

Did you know?

• The last time Coventry won a Premier League game was 16 April 2001, a 1-0 victory at home to Sunderland. John Hartson scored the only goal that day.

• While this was Coventry City's first top-flight win of the season/the last 25 years, it was their 100th Premier League victory overall.

Timothy Abraham
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Having shipped five goals against Brighton in the Premier League last weekend, a sense of trepidation among those packed in the lower tier of the Bridgford Stand would have been inevitable.

Yet there was endeavour, spirit and discipline shown by the Sky Blues in spades at the City Ground.

The tenacious Matt Grimes never gave Nottingham Forest a moment of rest in midfield while Ethan Pinnock had more blocks than a Lego set.

Coventry's moment of unbridled joy arrived when Jay Dasilva latched on to Carl Rushworth's punt forward and produced the crispest of finishes.

It was their first goal in the English top flight since Mustapha Hadji netted in a 3-2 defeat by Aston Villa on 5 May 2001 - 25 years, four months and 14 days ago.

Coventry then reacquainted themselves with their defensive fortitude.

It was embodied by Bobby Thomas, who was in the right place at the right time on numerous occasions - not least when he hooked a Igor Jesus dink off the line.

Frank Lampard ran to the delirious away fans end at full-time to savour the moment.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Nottingham Forest's performance

What did you make of Coventry's display?

Reaction and analysis to follow - and come back on Monday for a selection of your replies.

There are five games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Tottenham v Aston Villa (12:30)

• Brighton v Arsenal - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Everton v Ipswich

• Newcastle v Hull City - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Nottingham Forest v Coventry (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated.

Follow all of the action and reaction here

How to follow the Premier League weekend across the BBC

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on your smart speaker. Just say "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play Brighton v Arsenal" or "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play the Newcastle match", for example.

New this season: Live match updates

Fans of Premier League clubs can now get real-time scores live on their phone lock screen for every game.

Simply follow your favourite football teams on the BBC Sport app for updates throughout the 2026-27 season.

Find out more here

Image source, BBC Sport

New this season: Match of the Day Predictor

Simply predict the outcome of the six fixtures we've selected from across domestic and European competitions every week.

Players can join at any time, get involved with the latest round and start building a streak.

Read more about it here

You can find the predictor in the navigation bar at the top of this page, or on this link

Coventry were served up a couple of shockers by getting Arsenal and Manchester City as their first two away fixtures, and this trip is far from easy for them either.

In fact, this is another stinker of a game for Sky Blues boss Frank Lampard, because they are still struggling while Oliver Glasner seems to be getting Nottingham Forest going after a slow burner of a start.

There is a strong chance Coventry's confidence has been sapped already so Lampard will be trying to rally the troops and give his players some belief they can compete at this level.

That is going to be really difficult because they must be looking at the results of the other promoted teams and not just thinking about where a win is coming from for them but also where a point is coming from and where a goal is coming from too.

I don't think they will get any of those things this week, because Forest are looking pretty solid.

Well done to Forest striker Liam Delap, who got his first goal for them in last week's win at Aston Villa.

He had a tough time at Chelsea, and I know what that is like, so it is great to see him off the mark for his new club.

By the way, Delap scored one league goal for Chelsea - same as me - but his price went up by £20m, from £30m to £50m. My value went down by almost 50% when I left Stamford Bridge - from £10m to £6m - so what has gone on there?

Seriously, though, sometimes you need a change of scene to find your form again and Delap must be feeling a bit freer now he has his first Forest goal.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Noel Sliney
BBC Sport senior journalist

Nottingham Forest earned their first win of the season last weekend and now face a bottom-of-the-table Coventry City side yet to score or avoid defeat since their return to the Premier League.

It's the first top-flight meeting between the clubs since a 4-0 home win for the Sky Blues in January 1999.

Forest must address home truths

Nottingham Forest answered Oliver Glasner's call to find the "final bit missing" when they deservedly beat Aston Villa last weekend. Head coach Glasner was referring to his team's goalscoring issues but it could just as easily apply to their troublesome home form.

So far this season at the City Ground, Forest have lost twice to Leeds United – including in the Carabao Cup – and drawn with Spurs. They failed to score in any of those games and seldom threatened to do so, registering a combined seven shots on target.

It's the continuation of an issue which dates back to last year; their only home league victory in 13 attempts since Christmas came against soon-to-be-relegated Burnley in April.

Only Tottenham have earned fewer points at home among Premier League ever-present sides during that time, while Forest are the lowest scorers in front of their own fans.

Hope remains for Coventry

The momentum of a Championship title-winning campaign has swiftly dissipated for Coventry, who are yet to earn a point since returning to the Premier League and made a midweek exit from the EFL Cup.

After 97 league goals last season, they have none after four top-flight games; Mustapha Hadji remains the last Coventry player to score a Premier League goal, on 5 May 2001.

This is the first time since their debut 1919-20 campaign that Coventry have lost their opening four league fixtures in a season, while they are only the fifth side in English top-flight history to do so without scoring. The Sky Blues are creating chances, though, and have an expected goals tally of 4.2.

Perhaps not enough of those opportunities are falling to the right players. Coventry have had 41 attempts on goal in the Premier League but only nine were by centre-forwards, rising to 23 – a modest 56% – when incorporating all attacking players. Surprisingly, six clubs have a lower percentage but only Coventry have a defender with his side's most goal attempts – Bobby Thomas, with nine.

Despite Coventry's current travails, history offers them hope: eight of the previous 18 teams to start a Premier League season with four straight defeats managed to stay up.

And Frank Lampard's side can take inspiration from the fact Crystal Palace lost their opening seven games without scoring in 2017-18 but rallied to finish 11th.

Another edition of BBC CWR's Sky Blues Fancast is now available on BBC Sounds - as Coventry City supporters help look ahead to a potentially crucial game at Nottingham Forest.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and subscribe to the dedicated Coventry City page to get all Sky Blues audio content.

Image source, Getty Images

Only 145 days ago, Matt Grimes was lifting the Championship trophy in front of an adoring CBS Arena.

So, £140m later, what's happened? Too many new faces? Not enough quality for that £140m? The dressing room dynamic simply isn't the same?

Or is it just that the Premier League is a world away from the Championship and those new faces haven't hit the ground running, and in three of the four matches, the opposition goalkeeper has been man of the match?

Whatever your viewpoint, the Nottingham Forest game - the last before a three-week international break – takes on huge significance, and the consequences could be massive if Coventry City are still goalless and pointless come 19:30 on Saturday.

Doug King and Dean Austin were already chatting in public after the Brighton game. What will the chairman's next move be?

We may not have to wait long to find out, but fans will just hope, by hook or by crook, they can eke out a result at the City Ground.

Listen to Sky Blues Fancast Live every Monday and Friday at 18:00 and subscribe to the Coventry City page on BBC Sounds

BBC CWR's Richard Williams talks to some of the Sky Blue Army about what it means to be a Coventry City supporter and how they ended up supporting the club.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and subscribe to the dedicated Coventry City page to get all Sky Blues audio content.

Image source, Getty Images

Managing a newly promoted team in the Premier League is very demanding, as Frank Lampard is finding out at Coventry.

It's the highest level, not just for the technical ability of the players your team faces, but also the sheer physicality these players possess, and it feels like the gap to the Championship is getting greater every season.

From my experience in the same situation, you have to be really smart in the way you approach every game and recognise the importance of preparation for each specific opponent, because your team has to be organised in possession - and definitely out of possession.

Teams in the Premier League counter-attack with greater efficiency so being solid behind your own attacking play is absolutely vital.

The real advice I would give to managers in Frank's shoes is to manage yourself, and your own time, as well as your players.

You have to try to stay fresh and positive because invariably you are going to go on bad runs of defeats like Coventry are on, which can drag your mood down.

Whoever you are playing, if you get beaten - and especially beaten heavily like Coventry were by Brighton on Sunday - then it resonates with you. It's the same for every manager.

But it is how he deals with those defeats that will decide what happens next.

As the leader of a group of young men, you cannot look washed out and empty on a Monday morning after a heavy loss.

Inside you will be hurting and your pride will be taking a bashing, but everyone at the club will be waiting for your reaction and will act accordingly.

Walking into the training ground in a dark mood and with your head around your backside just does not work, irrespective of what you are feeling inside.

You have to do is puff your chest out and find a way of getting everyone back on track and working even harder, with a set focus on the next game.

That's what all good leaders do. It is draining at times, but that is why managing your time and prioritising the issues that you can resolve is so important.

Read more of Pulis' Going Direct column here

Tasnim Chowdhury
BBC Sport journalist

Coventry boss Frank Lampard has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground (kick-off 17:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Swiss defender Aurele Amenda is likely to be unavailable for Saturday's game after picking up a calf injury during the Carabao Cup loss to Aston Villa. "He will be scanned over the next 24 hours or so," said Lampard, who added that it is a blow as Amenda is a good player who makes an impact on and off the pitch.

• It is important to Lampard that Coventry are adaptable with formation: "You have a look at the opposition and you see what you feel is the best opportunity to try to get the best out of our team."

• Lampard reflected on his side's 3-1 defeat by Villa: "The critical part of the game was set pieces which we gave away. I thought we competed well in phases of the game and specifically the first half and the reaction to going 1-0 down. [We] scored a great, great goal, pushed and created a really good atmosphere in the stadium. Critical things we have to get right."

• On club captain Matt Grimes: "He is a great professional, great around team-mates, calm head, very good player. Played a lot of years in the Championship, was very experienced at it and can play for me at any level and now he is integral to everything we do here as a person and as a player."

• Lampard said the extended international break is positive in some part as it will allow players who are injured or arrived late in the window to get fit with more training time. But, it means he does not have a complete squad: "It's just one we will manage physically but I think the opportunity to get players fit is a good thing for us."

• When asked about keeping up the positive momentum from last season's promotion, he said: "We just have to because it is football. We have been privileged for a while to win a lot of football matches here. It is more difficult when you don't [win], that makes the job of all of ours tougher because that is what we are here for and what you want to do and sometimes it is human nature to feel down but we just have to focus on the work that we have got to do to keep trying to improve, to keep trying to get results."

• On Nottingham Forest: "They've got a high-quality squad, we have to be careful. Always good in transition, always good to play vertical and play forward and really talented people between lines, it's a really good system with players that [Oliver Glasner] has got there that suit the system that he is playing, hence it will be a tough match."

Hit play above to hear more from Lampard or listen on BBC Sounds here

Listen to full match commentary of Nottingham Forest v Coventry City on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds on Saturday

Got a question about Coventry? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Wednesday's Carabao Cup game between Coventry City and Aston Villa.

Here are some of your comments:

Coventry fans:

Andy W: Defensively we were just very poor yet again, looked good at times going forward but just not clinical enough, really not sure we have enough quality overall to get out of trouble but I am really hoping that we find a way.

Richard: Well it's another fine mess we're in, Frank. Apart from scoring the goal of the game. Coventry look out of sorts, I can't see Doug King putting up with this much longer. New man needed to steady the ship, I'm afraid.

Robert: Very poor defensively, lack confidence, looks like a long hard season unless a drastic improvement quickly.

Paul: Woeful defending cost Coventry tonight. We had a great 20-minute period which included a sensational goal by Torp. But if you can't keep clean sheets you're going to struggle.

Andy: Long, long way from being able to compete.

Aston Villa fans:

Rob: Much better from Villa. Hemmings is improving, Mbaye looks lively and Taylor Harwood-Bellis was worth the wait for his debut. I'm pleasantly surprised to see we won a League Cup match for a change, too. Hopefully we can translate this into a win against Spurs on Saturday so we can put our shaky start to the season behind us before the international break.

Paul: Not a great performance against a poor Coventry side. Some decent individual performances. On debut Harwood-Bellis had a good performance, nothing extravagant, did his basic job very well, limiting errors.

Griff: Unbalanced, gave the ball away too much and a little disorganised. Great to see Ruggeri, Manzambi and Mbaye on the pitch. Happy that Tammy scored a brace and hopefully it'll build confidence. Still have the faith in Unai!

Prit: Really important for Villa and getting better match by match. Really good to see Abraham get his brace, Harwood-Bellis looked assured at the back and with Manzambi and Mbaye, Villa have the players to unlock defences. Let's keep it going and three points on Saturday would be very welcome indeed.

John: Good win, need to gain momentum now at Spurs on Saturday.

Coventry City boss Frank Lampard spoke to BBC Radio CWR after his side's Carabao Cup defeat by Aston Villa: "The nature of them [goals], set-pieces, really poor from us. Disappointing in terms of the details, you can't do it at this level and as we were really strong in the game we allowed them to go 2-1 up, and as we wanted to come out and push to get back into the game we allowed them to go 3-1 up. It's going to be really tough after that."

On how the new players in the squad are performing: "They will play a part. The reality is that some of them have fitness that they need to gain, they're adapting to the league and they're adapting to their team-mates and it's complicated.

"That's one of the issues that we've had and we've felt that probably in this first period of the season, among the tough games that we've played and you can see why they've had to play tonight [Wednesday] because they need to get that fitness and that sharpness.

"There were some good bits to get those minutes into these players but obviously we want to win games as well."

On Stephen Mfuni's debut: "I thought he was fantastic. He's a really, really good player and he's impressed us in the couple of weeks he's been with us. For me, he is going to be a really top player. We're pleased to have him and he showed a lot of his qualities."

On Yann Gboho's debut: " Some good bits and minutes in his legs and adaption to what this league is. I know it's a cup game but it's a Premier League game on paper. Good for him and he'll get better."

On Aurele Amenda's injury: "Calf injury - we don't know to what extent."

Hear more from Lampard above or on BBC Sounds here

And listen to the post-match thoughts of goalscorer Victor Torp below or on BBC Sounds

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Coventry's performance

What did you make of Aston Villa's display?

Reaction and analysis to follow - and come back on Thursday for a selection of your replies.

There are four Carabao Cup third-round ties on Wednesday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Everton v Wolverhampton Wanderers - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Fleetwood Town v Sheffield United

• Coventry City v Aston Villa (20:00)

• Manchester United v Brighton (20:00) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-offs 19:45 BST unless stated

Follow all the action and reaction here

There's also Europa League fixtures taking place, with Sunderland in action as the league phase gets under way - follow that here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live commentaries on your smart speaker. Just say "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play Manchester United v Brighton" or "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play the Everton match", for example.

New this season: Live match updates

Fans of Premier League clubs can now get real-time scores live on their phone lock screen for every game.

Simply follow your favourite football teams on the BBC Sport app for updates throughout the 2026-27 season.

Find out more here

Image source, BBC Sport

New this season: Match of the Day Predictor

Simply predict the outcome of the six fixtures we've selected from across domestic and European competitions every week.

Players can join at any time, get involved with the latest round and start building a streak.

Read more about it here

You can find the predictor in the navigation bar at the top of this page, or on this link

"Being on the mic for that club has been one of the biggest privileges of my life," John Dalziel said.

Coventry City's stadium announcer is hanging up his microphone after 25 years at the club. He gave BBC CWR an emotional interview, reflecting on his time at the Sky Blues and what's next.

Click play above to hear the full interview or listen on BBC Sounds here

Image source, Getty Images

Former Coventry midfielder David Smith spoke on BBC CWR's Sky Blues Fancast about Wednesday's Carabao Cup third-round tie against Aston Villa: "It's massive if you can get a win against the old rivals. It's been a long time since we played them. I was fortunate to score the winning goal against them in 1989 or 1990, I think. It gave everybody a lift.

"To be able play in a game like that - when there is going to be a fantastic atmosphere - will help the players come on to themselves.

"The game comes at a good time and give everyone an opportunity to get the season going and put one over our local rivals."

Listen to the full episode here