FRANK Lampard admits Coventry City have to become more ‘clinical’ after suffering his first defeat as Sky Blues boss at West Bromwich Albion.
City slipped to a 2-0 defeat at The Hawthorns as goals from Alex Mowatt and Karlan Grant either side of half time condemned Coventry to defeat.
And after tasting defeat for the first time as Sky Blues boss, Lampard insists City must start taking their chances with the club 16th in the Championship table, four points above the relegation zone.
Lampard said: “We will look at where we can improve, but the reality of football is you need to be clinical when you have those chances.
“The bigger chances of the game were ours and we didn’t take them and that’s the brutal reality.
“This game at this level is about taking those chances and the second goal we concede is poor from us. We shouldn’t lose, we should take our chances and not lose.
“Is it a confidence issue, I don’t know, but the only way I know to fight through that is keep working and doing the right things and, on another day, we take those chances.”
Coventry went close early on when Norman Bassette raced in-behind the Baggies defence and drove into the box only for Torbjorn Heggem to make a crucial block.
And West Brom then broke the deadlock on 11 minutes as Mowatt’s effort from distance deflected off Josh Eccles and past a helpless Bradley Collins.
City searched for an equaliser as Bobby Thomas headed over from a corner before Alex Palmer smothered an attempt from Eccles soon after.
The Sky Blues spurned a glorious chance to draw level after the break as Milan van Ewijk delivered a tantalising cross from the right only for Victor Torp to send a diving header wide from six-yards out with Jack Rudoni well-placed behind him.
City continued to come forward as substitute Brandon Thomas-Asante picked out Tatsuhiro Sakamoto at the back post from the left as Palmer pushed the midfielder’s header behind for a corner.
However, Albion made the Sky Blues pay for their missed chances on 74 minutes when Grant dribbled past three City players before firing a shot into the bottom left corner from the edge of the penalty area.
Coventry are next in action against Hull City on Saturday, December 14 with kick-off at 12.30pm at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
