Taiwo Awoniyi: Why Super Eagles Striker Was Sent Off in Coventry's 5:0 Defeat to Brighton, Video
- Super Eagles striker Taiwo Awoniyi received a straight red card for a flailing elbow on Brighton's Maxim de Cuyper in the 53rd minute
- Coventry City suffered a 5-0 home defeat to Brighton, their fourth consecutive Premier League loss without scoring a single goal
- Former England pundits Lee Hendrie and Sue Smith both backed the referee's decision to dismiss Awoniyi during the rout
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Nigeria international Taiwo Awoniyi was sent off for violent conduct as Coventry City suffered a 5-0 home thrashing by Brighton in the Premier League, deepening the club's miserable start to the season.
Awoniyi was dismissed in the 53rd minute after referee Tony Harrington judged that the forward had caught Brighton's Maxim de Cuyper with his elbow during an aerial challenge.
Source: Getty Images
The red card left Coventry with 10 men, trailing by two goals and with no clear route back into the game.
According to BBC Sport, the result made Coventry only the second club in Premier League history to lose their opening four matches without scoring, following Crystal Palace's record from the 2017/18 season.
It is also the first time in the club's history that they have failed to register a goal or a point across their first four league fixtures.
How Brighton dismantled Coventry
Brighton's teenage forward Charalampos Kostoulas opened the scoring on 35 minutes with a stunning individual effort, heading the ball down between two defenders before bouncing a shot beyond goalkeeper Carl Rushworth.
Malick Yalcouye doubled the lead early in the second half, latching onto a headed ball and slotting into the bottom corner.
Awoniyi's dismissal followed just one minute later, leaving Frank Lampard's side in a desperate position.
Bobby Thomas then brought down Kostoulas inside the penalty area, and Pascal Gross converted from the spot to make it three.
Lewis Dunk struck from 20 yards in the 83rd minute to put the result beyond doubt, before Yasin Ayari added a fifth deep into stoppage time to complete a dominant win for Fabian Hurzeler's side.
Brighton climbed to fourth in the table, while Coventry remain rooted to the bottom.
Pundits slam Awoniyi after red card
Two former England internationals, Lee Hendrie and Sue Smith, both supported the referee's call to send Awoniyi off.
Hendrie, the former Aston Villa midfielder, scrutinised the use of Awoniyi's arm during the challenge while speaking on Sky Sports.
"He's lent into it. You cannot be doing that. You can clearly see that there's an elbow and that there's force," he said.
Smith, analysing the incident for BBC Radio 5 Live, pointed out that Awoniyi was not focused on the ball at the moment of contact.
"That's a red card, he's not even looking at the ball. He moves the arm towards the face," she said.
She added that players take a clear risk when they lead with their elbows in aerial duels.
"You can't lead with your elbow like that, if you do and catch someone of course the referee is going to send you off."
Coventry's winless and scoreless run in the top flight continues to grow, with no sign yet of an upturn in fortunes for a side still searching for their first Premier League goal of the campaign.
Awoniyi reacts after Coventry's painful defeat
Earlier, Legit.ng reported about Awoniyi’s reaction to Coventry City’s painful 1-0 Premier League defeat to Hull City.
The Nigerian striker admitted that his team must create more chances and improve their finishing.
Source: Legit.ng
