COVENTRY CITY had their defenders to thank after the Sky Blues backline scored all three of their goals in a 3-2 win away at 10-man Reading.
Wing-back Ian Maatsen grabbed the winner after centre-back’s Dom Hyam and Michael Rose struck either side of the break at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
The Royals went ahead through Lucas Joao before Andy Yiadom pulled the home side level only for Junior Hoilett’s second-half dismissal to prove costly.
And the result means Coventry sit 12th in the Sky Bet Championship table, five points outside of the play-off places with a game in-hand.
City should have taken the lead when Callum O’Hare was released down the left channel before playing a ball into the path of Viktor Gyokeres who saw his low effort saved by Karl Hein from 15-yards out.
And the Royals then had a chance of their own when Josh Laurent fizzed a shot inches past Simon Moore’s post from 30-yards out.
Reading made the breakthrough on 23 minutes when Joao headed home from six-yards out from Hoilett’s left-wing cross.
The Sky Blues rode their luck soon after when Tom Ince curled an effort narrowly wide with Moore well-beaten from Hoilett’s pass.
However, Coventry weathered the storm and drew level in first-half injury time when Hyam flicked Gus Hamer’s initial effort past Hein and into the bottom left corner amidst a crowd of bodies.
And City completed the turnaround two minutes after the interval when Rose met Hamer’s corner from the left at the near post to head into the far corner.
The home side equalised on 55 minutes when Yiadom headed in from Ince’s corner from the right with Todd Kane unable to clear the ball off the line.
However, the game turned back in City’s favour on 63 minutes when Hoilett received a second yellow card for a poor challenge on Gyokeres, his second caution in the space of just six minutes.
And just two minutes later, the Sky Blues scored their winning goal when Gyokeres played in Maatsen whose effort looped over Hein and bounced into the roof of the net via the aid of a deflection.
Reading had one final chance to draw level only for Ince to inexplicably shoot wide from seven-yards out from Yakou Meite’s pass across the box.
Coventry are next in action away at Cardiff City on Tuesday, February 15 with kick-off at 7.45pm at the Cardiff City Stadium.
