Report and free match highlights from Norwich City’s Sky Bet Championship match against Coventry City at Carrow Road on Saturday | Josh Sargent and Borja Sainz clinch Canaries’ comeback triumph over 10-man Sky Blues after Liam Kitching’s red card.
The Spanish winger scored neatly in the 84th minute to hand the 10-man Sky Blues their first defeat in 13 outings.
Mark Robins’ team took the lead early in the second half with Callum O’Hare’s well-taken goal, only to be pegged back 12 minutes later by Josh Sargent’s close-range strike.
The game changed again with 19 minutes remaining when Liam Kitching was sent off for bringing down Sargent as he raced into the area, and Norwich went on to use their additional man to draw level with their opponents in the playoff race.
Coventry goalkeeper Bradley Collins did well to save an early drive from Christian Fassnacht that was heading for the bottom corner, before Sargent guided the ball wide from a decent position while under pressure from a visiting defender.
As the half went, the sides began to cancel each other out, with both keepers remaining virtually untested.
However, Coventry offered a threat, with the lively Haji Wright forcing a good stop from Angus Gunn at the near post after attempting a shot from a tight angle.
The Sky Blues capitalized on their first opportunity of the second period, with O’Hare scoring a great individual goal in the 48th minute to make it 1-0.
Norwich put themselves under pressure with a poor throw, and Victor Torp sent the ball to O’Hare, who skipped past a couple of players before slipping it past Gunn.
The Norwich goalkeeper then did well to stop a fast-breaking Wright as the Sky Blues attempted to extend their lead, but the hosts equalised on the hour mark.
Recently-introduced substitute Ashley Barnes saw his shot from a Gabriel Sara cross blocked, but the ball fell sweetly for Sargent to volley home his sixth goal of an injury-plagued season.
Norwich were again on the attack, and they were given a lift on 71 minutes when Kitching was issued a straight red card for taking down Sargent on the edge of the box as the penultimate defender.
Gunn made a fantastic reaction stop to deny Coventry substitute Kasey Palmer, but Norwich pressed on and took the lead for the first time on 84 minutes.
Sainz scored following a break down the left, exchanging passes with Barnes on the edge of the box before curling a wonderful shot past Collins and into the far corner of the goal.
