- Lampard’s side raced into a four-goal lead by the interval on Thursday afternoon
- Plymouth have conceded 16 goals in their last four away Championship matches
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Wayne Rooney suffered a damaging 4-0 loss to Frank Lampard’s Coventry, to heap further pressure on the beleaguered Plymouth Argyle boss.
The first managerial meeting of the former England team-mates overshadowed the crucial Championship clash for the visitors on Boxing Day, who came into the tie rooted to the bottom of the table.
Argyle came into the game without a win in their last eight league matches, a run that was extended to nine after their latest heavy away defeat.
The Sky Blues inflicted all of their damage in the first half, as goals from Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, Ephron Mason-Clark and a Josh Eccles brace lifted Lampard’s men up to 14th in the standings.
His side have now claimed three victories since his appointment last month and sit just 10 points off the play-offs.
Some mitigation for Plymouth’s miserable run comes in their extraordinary list of absentees. On Thursday, Rooney was without the likes of Ryan Hardie, Michael Obafemi, Ibrahim Cissoko, Muhamed Tijani and Morgan Whittaker.
Wayne Rooney’s side have conceded 16 goals in their last four away Championship matches
Coventry raced into a four-goal lead by the interval thanks to goals from Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, Ephron Mason-Clark and a Josh Eccles (picture) brace
Lampard’s side climb to 14th in the Championship after their third win since his appointment
It meant that the former Derby manager handed 16-year-old Tegan Finn his first start following one appearance as a second-half substitute in the 3-0 defeat at Leeds in November.
Rooney was also without captain Joe Edwards for the clash in the Midlands.
Coventry’s onslaught began after only five minutes when Sakamoto struck. Eccles doubled the home side’s lead after 20 minutes before grabbing his second on the stroke of half time after Mason-Clark had scored his fourth goal in six games since Lampard’s arrival.
Rooney’s woes were compounded in the 87th minute when Callum Wright was dismissed, ruling him out of their clash against Oxford United on Sunday.
The Manchester United legend faced ‘sacked in the morning’ chants from his own supporters after Eccles’ second before the interval. His side, who remain two points adrift of safety, have conceded 16 goals in four away matches in the last month.
Their upcoming clash against 20th-placed Oxford provides another chance for his team to awake from their slumber and help the manager stave off mounting pressure for his removal.
Coventry, meanwhile, welcome Millwall to Coventry Building Society Arena on Sunday, who they beat at the start of December to earn Lampard’s first win.
