Coventry City 3 Middlesbrough 0: Boro's problems mount without Akpom

Having lost at home to Millwall in their opening game of the campaign last weekend, Michael Carrick’s side remain without a point after Coventry inflicted more damage on the Teessiders in the wake of last season’s play-off semi-final.

Matt Godden opened the scoring in the 11th minute, and was heavily involved in the home side’s two other goals, which saw Haji Wright fire home before Darragh Lenihan’s deflected a 90th-minute cross into his own net.

Boro desperately need to get their remaining transfer business sorted, with the anticipated departure of Chuba Akpom hopefully freeing up the current log-jam.

With Akpom now looking certain to leave Teesside, Boro need two new forwards through the door, and while a deal for Atalanta striker Emmanuel Latte Lath is understood to be reasonably close, further progress is badly required.

While Carrick’s side threatened briefly at the start of the second half, with Sammy Silvera wasting a golden opportunity as he fired over, their lack of a cutting edge has been apparent in both of their opening league games.

With Akpom absent from the squad after Middlesbrough received bids from both Lens and Ajax in the last 24 hours, Michael Carrick opted to make two changes from the side that kicked off the league campaign against Millwall last weekend. Silvera and Isaiah Jones came into the starting side, with Marcus Forss and Riley McGree dropping to the bench.

Coventry were also without one of last season’s key men, with Gustavo Hamer having joined Sheffield United yesterday, but the Sky Blues were the more threatening side from the off as their swift counter-attacking caused Boro problems.

Ellis Simms fired in a seventh-minute shot that Seny Dieng saved, and while Silvera’s deflected effort forced Ben Wilson into a save at the other end, there was no real surprise when Coventry claimed the lead in the 11th minute.

Josh Eccles’ shot from the edge of the area deflected off Hayden Hackney, enabling Godden to hook a close-range finish past a helpless Dieng.

The hosts should have doubled their lead ten minutes later, but while Milan van Ewijk looked certain to score when Dieng could only push Godden’s low shot into his path, the Coventry midfielder skewed a poor effort wide of the far post.

That was a let-off for Boro, and another arrived just before half-time when Jay Dasilva dispossessed Hackney deep in the opposition half to set up Simms. The Sunderland striker had plenty of time to weigh up his shot, but fired a low effort from just inside the area straight at Dieng.

Boro needed a spark to get them going, and it almost arrived four minutes into the second half courtesy of Morgan Rogers, who continues to lead the line as a ‘number nine’ despite not really looking ideally suited to the role.

Rogers looks better when breaking from the deep, as illustrated by the slaloming run that took him into the Coventry 18-yard box. He glided past three Coventry defenders before getting a shot away, but his clipped effort flew wide of the left-hand post.

Jones fired into the side-netting after a one-two with Rogers released him into the right-hand side of the box, and Rogers was involved again moments later as Boro really should have equalised.

Having won the ball deep in the Coventry half, Rogers picked out Silvera with a pull-back. The Australian was stretching however, and his hooked effort flew over the bar from six yards out.

It proved as costly miss as Coventry successfully regrouped and doubled their lead with 20 minutes remaining.

Godden’s glanced near-post header from a corner hit Hackney, with the ball dropping invitingly for Sky Blues substitute Wright, who was able to fire home from 14 yards.

A third goal arrived in the 90th minute, with Godden once again involved. The forward, who was the Man of the Match by a distance, crossed from the right-hand side, and the ball deflected off Lenihan’s chest before flying past Dieng and into the defender’s own net.