Matt Gooden scored on his first start since October to help Coventry produce one of the close football results of the weekend in the Championship. The striker converted a penalty to give the Sky Blues a point despite missing nearly four months of action due to an ankle ailment. Within the first minute, Tom Lockyer gave Luton the lead as they sought their fourth straight victory. Joshua Wilson-Esbrand, who is on loan from Manchester City, was dismissed toward the end of his first Sky Blues game. After just 38 seconds, Lockyer punched home his first league goal of the year to give the Championship’s top team the lead.
After the first ten minutes, Coventry began to move the ball much more easily. Godden’s dummy allowed Viktor Gyokeres to create a chance, but Ethan Horvath sprawled to his right to deflect his effort to safety. On his first appearance since November, Kyle McFadzean hooked the ball wide from the corner. It was a revamped Sky Blues lineup that featured captain McFadzean, wingback Wilson-Esbrand making his first Coventry start, and Josh Eccles making his first start since December 10th. Godden, however, who had been off the longest, ended his first start since mid-October by tying on the final play before halftime.
The striker intercepted Callum Doyle’s cross and crossed for Gyokeres, who appeared to be on the verge of tying the score for City before being brought down by Gabriel Osho. Before Godden stepped up to score for the first time since a brace against Hull in August, he was only given a yellow card by referee Stephen Martin. Over 20,000 spectators watched both teams fight head-to-head in a brutal first half in which neither side gave ground.
When Horvath scrambled across the goal to block Kasey Palmer’s curling attempt, the hosts came agonizingly close to a second consecutive home triumph. When Wilson stretched himself to his right to block Cauley Woodrow’s goal-bound header, the Hatters were kept from bringing all three points back down the M1.
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