COVENTRY City produced a scintillating first-half performance to beat bottom club Plymouth Argyle 4-0 on Boxing Day.
The Sky Blues scored all four of their goals before the break as Josh Eccles netted a brace while Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and Ephron Mason-Clark also found the net at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
Victory means City have won back-to-back home games in the league for the first time in over a year while Frank Lampard’s side also secured their biggest win of the season.
Lampard also tasted victory against old England teammate Wayne Rooney, now manager of the Pilgrims, as the two resumed a rivalry born from their playing days.
The Sky Blues broke the deadlock after just five minutes when Sakamoto leapt highest to head in Ben Sheaf’s cross from the left at the back post.
And City doubled their advantage on 20 minutes as Eccles fired a first time shot into the net from outside the box after Mason-Clark set the ball into his path.
The home side all but sealed the points on 39 minutes when Mason-Clark scored his fourth goal in the space of six games as he latched onto Eccles’ inch-perfect pass and bounced a shot past Daniel Grimshaw.
And Eccles scored his second of the game on the stroke of half time when Jack Rudoni won the ball high up the pitch and the former curled a shot into the left corner of the goal from the edge of the penalty area.
Grimshaw made a string of saves in the second period to prevent the home side from extending their lead before Plymouth substitute Callum Wright received a straight red card on 87 minutes for a reckless lunge on Joel Latibeaudiere.
