Frank Onyeka enjoyed a strong first night in a Coventry City shirt as the Sky Blues beat Middlesbrough 3-1 to return to the top of the Championship table, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Nigeria midfielder joined Coventry City on loan from Brentford on transfer deadline day, turning down interest from clubs in Spain and Germany to work under Frank Lampard.
He was meant to make his debut last week, but the arrival of his baby boy delayed his first appearance.
When Middlesbrough came to the Coventry Building Society Arena on Monday night, Onyeka was straight into the starting XI, and he made sure the wait was worth it.
The 27-year-old brought energy and strength to midfield, helping Coventry fight back Middlesbrough who controlled large parts of the game.
Before coming off in the 75th minute, Onyeka completed most of his passes, had a shot blocked, and made several key defensive actions including interceptions, clearances and recoveries.
The Super Eagles star also won many of his duels and was warmly applauded by the home fans when he was substituted, a clear sign they liked what they saw from their new signing.
At the other end, it was a dream night for Haji Wright, whose three goals powered Coventry to a vital win.
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Wright hat-trick fires Coventry City back to the summit
Lampard made four changes from the side that drew with Oxford United, with Onyeka among those brought in as Coventry started brightly.
The hosts nearly scored inside two minutes when Wright’s header hit the post after a fine cross from Tatsuhiro Sakamoto. Coventry kept pressing and were rewarded in the 21st minute when Jack Rudoni squared the ball for Wright to calmly finish.
After the break, Coventry struck again. A long kick from goalkeeper Carl Rushworth found Wright, who drove into the area and fired low into the corner to make it 2-0.
Middlesbrough, coached by Kim Hellberg, hit the post through substitute Jeremy Sarmiento before pulling one back when Riley McGree smashed home after a blocked shot.
But any hopes of a comeback ended when Coventry won a late penalty for handball. Wright stepped up and calmly scored to complete his hat-trick and seal the points.
Coventry saw out the closing minutes comfortably, with Onyeka’s solid debut adding extra balance to a performance that sent Lampard’s side back to the top of the Championship.
