What Frank Lampard did at full-time vs Sunderland should give Coventry City fans hope ahead of Stadium of Light trip

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Sunderland pulled off a shock result at the CBS Arena on Friday night to take a slender lead into the Championship play-off semi-final second leg, but the tie is far from over.

Given the rotten form they’re in — with five straight defeats — no one gave Sunderland a chance heading into the Championship play-offs, especially against a relatively hot Coventry side.

Indeed, the head-to-head record between Sunderland and Coventry made for dire reading for any Black Cats fans.

However, the home crowd were stunned when Wilson Isidor gave Sunderland the lead on Friday. A quickfire equaliser from Jack Rudoni settled the nerves, but it was the Mackems who grabbed a late winner thanks to superstar Eliezer Mayenda that decided the game.

The two sides now head into the second leg with just one goal between them, and it will be a fascinating battle at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday night.

• READ MORE: Kevin Phillips says one Sunderland star was ‘awesome’ in Coventry City win, he played with ‘authority’

Frank Lampard knows the Championship play-offs aren’t over for Coventry City

While Coventry heads may be down after that defeat, one man who is not taking the defeat lying down is Frank Lampard.

After the game, as Sunderland players and fans celebrated wildly, you’d think the tie was over and the Black Cats were heading to Wembley.

Lampard, however, simply stood in the centre circle at the CBS Arena, watching it all unfold before him, with a look of steely resilience in his eyes.

As one Coventry City fan said, Lampard “knows more than anyone this isn’t over.”

Indeed, Lampard’s team talk ahead of the return leg pretty much writes itself at this point; all he needs to do is tell his players to go out and make Sunderland regret their celebrations.

Of course, this works both ways, though. As one Sunderland fan pointed out, Coventry city centre had advertising boards dotted around with the message “Wembley again, ole ole” written on them ahead of the first leg.

The humble approach is always the best approach, and to be fair, Lampard’s moment of quiet contemplation at full-time on Friday may well be the key to assessing what went wrong and how to fix it now.

• READ MORE: Regis Le Bris praises ‘brave’ Sunderland duo after beating Coventry City, they ‘did well’

Can Coventry City get the win they need at the Stadium of Light?

Coventry City’s play-off record tells us they know how to get to Wembley, of course. They lost out to Luton Town in 2023, as we know, and will be desperate to make amends for that.

It will be a tough ask, though. Sunderland have enjoyed a good season at home this year, and were even unbeaten at the Stadium of Light until past the halfway mark this term.

With a lead to protect, there’s every chance Regis Le Bris’ men will dig deep and shut Coventry out on Tuesday.

Hopefully, for the neutrals watching the play-offs, we get an early Coventry goal to really open up the tie. The Sky Blues certainly have goalscorers who can hurt Sunderland, like Rudoni, and Haji Wright, the hat-trick hero from earlier this season.