Coventry City 0-2 Blackpool: Goals from Nathan Delfouneso and Armand Gnanduillet boost Seasiders' League One play-off hopes

Nathan Delfouneso and Armand Gnanduillet’s quickfire salvo handed the Seasiders their second win from their last three games.

Not only that, the three points at the Ricoh Arena represented Blackpool’s first away win against the Sky Blues in nine attempts, having not beaten them on their own patch since 1937.

Blackpool were well under-par during the first half for a second week running, but they came firing out of the traps at the start of the second half and got the goals to seal the win.

The clean sheet, Pool’s third on the spin, means Terry McPhillips’ men now have 14 for the season in League One.

Coventry and Blackpool were level on points at the start of the day but the men in tangerine now climb up to eighth, six points off the play-offs with a game in hand.

Ollie Turton returned from a six-week absence to make his first start in nine games, having not played since picking up a groin injury in the defeat at Oxford United in mid-December.

He replaced Callum Guy in midfield, the 22-year-old missing out after picking up a knock in training.

Liam Feeney, who started in last weekend’s stalemate against Shrewsbury Town, dropped to the bench with Nathan Delfouneso taking his place in the starting 11.

Chris Long was due to start but he picked up a late knock meaning Nick Anderton - originally down as a substitute - was brought into the team instead.

The late change meant Blackpool had just six players on the bench.

The Seasiders were also without a sub goalkeeper, Myles Boney missing out with a shoulder injury and Mark Howard still not fit enough to return.

New signing Elias Sorensen was named on the bench alongside fellow loanee Nya Kirby.

It’s very rare Blackpool line-up with a 4-4-2 formation but that’s exactly how they started the game, with Anderton and Donervon Daniels the two full backs, Marc Bola and Jordan Thompson out on the wings and Turton in the centre of midfield alongside Jay Spearing.

But the change in system didn’t pay dividends, with Coventry bossing the opening stages while the Seasiders were sloppy and unable to keep hold of possession.

We had to wait until the 19th minute for the first attempt of the day which came Coventry’s way, Luke Thomas forcing Christoffer Mafoumbi into making a smart save with his curling effort.

Coventry wasted a gilt-edged chance to take the lead halfway through the opening 45 minutes, Conor Chaplin somehow managing to head wide at the back post after Dujon Sterling had set him up from the right.

It was down Blackpool’s left where they were struggling, full back Sterling again getting in behind only to see Mafoumbi clear his cutback with his legs.

To McPhillips’ credit, he recognised the system wasn’t working and changed it on the half-hour mark, pulling Nathan Delfouneso out to the wing and putting Jordan Thompson in a more advanced midfielder’s role.

Anderton was also brought off and replaced by Liam Feeney, allowing Bola to return to left back as McPhillips had a tactical rethink.

Mafoumbi made a fine fingertip save on the stroke of half time to keep the scores level, denying Zain Westbrooke whose low shot appeared destined to nestle in the bottom corner of the Blackpool net.

The Seasiders will have been happy just to get to the break on level terms, but against all the odds they took the lead just two minutes into the second half.

It came via a Jordan Thompson free kick, which was headed across the face of goal by Curtis Tilt giving Nathan Delfouneso the simple task of nodding home from a yard out for his sixth goal of the season.

One became two within the space of just five minutes, Armand Gnanduillet bagging his 10th goal of the season with a clinical low finish into the bottom corner.

It came after the striker had used his physical presence to back into the centre back before turning and shooting beyond the Coventry goalkeeper.

Coventry almost pulled one back on the hour mark, former Fleetwood Town man Jordy Hiwula getting in behind Donervon Daniels only to be denied by a sprawling save by Mafoumbi.

Hiwula again peeled off his man to get a shot off at goal but that man Mafoumbi made another stop to keep Pool’s two-goal lead intact.

The home fans were up in arms appealing for a penalty when Daniels challenged Hiwula inside the box but the referee was having none of it.

Hiwula was swiftly replaced by substitute Jonson Clarke-Harris, who glanced a header wide of the target with Mafoumbi comfortably having it covered.

The same again headed wide with eight minutes left on the clock, Mafoumbi opting to remain on his goalline as Clarke-Harris somehow contrived to head wide at the back post from just a few yards out.

That proved to be Coventry’s last opportunity to get back in the game as the Seasiders comfortably rode out the five minutes of stoppage time to claim an impressive three points.

TEAMS

Coventry: Burge, Mason, Davies, Kelly, Hyam, Sterling, Thomas, Enobakhare (Bakayoko), Westbrooke, Chaplin, Hiwula (Clarke-Harris)

Subs not used: Addai, Grimmer, Doyle, Brown, Shipley

Blackpool: Mafoumbi, Anderton (Feeney), Daniels, Heneghan, Tilt, Bola, Turton (Pritchard), Spearing, Thompson, Delfouneso, Gnanduillet

Subs not used: Nottingham, Kirby, Shaw, Sorensen

Referee: Eddie Ilderton

Attendance: 9,786 (362 Blackpool)