Frank Lampard was left displeased by his Coventry City’s failure to finish off League One outfit Plymouth after storming into a two-goal advantage within the opening four minutes of the Carabao Cup encounter.
The Sky Blues manager expressed concern over the way his team surrendered goals through obvious defensive blunders, enabling Argyle to draw level in the second-round fixture before strikes in the closing stages re-established City’s cushion in a thrilling 4-2 triumph.
Lampard acknowledged the challenge of the venue, having made nine alterations from the side that began the match at Arsenal.
He explained that rotating the squad provided valuable opportunities to assess those who did not feature at the weekend and were competing for starting berths.
The manager reflected on an excellent beginning, highlighting two excellent finishes of high quality and precise movement through defensive lines and challenges, demonstrating good combination play. However, he suggested his side may have become complacent and failed to press home their advantage when presented with such a scenario, explaining that when teams find themselves in that position they should truly dominate the match.
The team committed significant errors leading to Plymouth’s goals, though he praised the response that ultimately secured a comfortable victory.
Taiwo Awoniyi struck first in the third minute, served by a clever backheel from Caleb Yirenkyi, before Jack Rudoni extended the lead two minutes later as the recent acquisition turned creator. Oliver Irow then drifted past Joel Latibeaudiere and beat goalkeeper Dan Bentley with relative ease as the Pilgrims reduced the deficit in the 21st minute, before the hosts drew level shortly after the interval when replacement Xavier Ameachi won possession from Liam Kitching.
Ephron Mason-Clark provided fresh impetus when introduced around the hour mark and regained the lead for City with a neatly finished close-range effort following Victor Torp’s assist, with Torp later sealing the win by dispatching a penalty into the top corner after Brandon Thomas-Asante had been brought down in the area.
When questioned about the eye-catching Awoniyi ahead of his maiden start for the club and whether the forward was still building his match sharpness, Lampard noted the striker had accumulated useful pre-season minutes at Forest, though likely less so in his final ten days before joining. He was pleased to have given him minutes at the Emirates and that he then started this fixture, scoring and providing an assist, adding that he would continue improving his fitness but the qualities which prompted his signing were already evident.