Why Taiwo Awoniyi earned 8.3 rating in Coventry City’s EFL Cup win over Plymouth

Super Eagles forward Taiwo Awoniyi played a starring role as Coventry City advanced to the third round of the EFL Cup with a 4-2 victory over Plymouth Argyle, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 29-year-old joined Coventry City this summer in a £9 million deal from Nottingham Forest and made his first appearance for the club in their 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League opener last weekend.

Awoniyi was handed his first start for the club in Tuesday night's second-round clash and made the most of the opportunity, scoring once and providing an assist in the impressive victory. The Nigerian striker opened the scoring after just three minutes before setting up Jack Rudoni for Coventry's second goal.

Plymouth fought back twice through Oliver Irow and Xavier Amaechi, but goals from Ephron Mason-Clark and Victor Torp eventually sealed the win for Coventry and sent them through to the next round.

Plymouth vs Coventry City: How the match unfolded

It took the Super Eagles forward just three minutes to make his mark. He calmly finished after a clever flick from club-record signing Caleb Yirenkyi had set him up in the build-up.

Awoniyi then turned provider for Coventry's second goal, playing Jack Rudoni through to double their advantage.

Plymouth responded through Irow, who pulled one back before half-time to leave Coventry with a narrow 2-1 lead at the break.

The hosts levelled the game in the second half when Amaechi found the back of the net, but Coventry regained the lead when Mason-Clark bundled the ball home.

The visitors then put the game beyond Plymouth's reach after Joe Edwards fouled Brandon Thomas-Asante inside the penalty area. Torp stepped up and converted emphatically to complete the 4-2 victory.

Taiwo Awoniyi scores and assists on first Coventry City start

Awoniyi's Coventry City debut was one to forget after he struggled to make an impact against Arsenal, but the striker responded strongly when given the opportunity to start against Plymouth.

Taiwo Awoniyi scored and assisted within two minutes in the EFL for Coventry, on his first start for the team.

3' — Scores ⚽️
5' — Assists 🅰️

He celebrated with a sign of the cross on his shin pad, symbolising his Christian faith. ✝️ pic.twitter.com/AuP4RO6qQc

— Leagues Reporter (@LeaguesReporter) August 25, 2026

The Nigerian spent 70 minutes on the pitch and finished the game with a goal and an assist. His contribution was not limited to scoring, as he also created two chances for his teammates during his time on the pitch.

Awoniyi's goal was a good example of his quality as a striker. His positioning and timing allowed him to get into the right area before calmly finishing the chance.

He also showed another side of his game with his assist for Rudoni and his all-round performance earned him an impressive 8.3 rating from FotMob, which was the second highest in the match.

After opening his Coventry City account, Awoniyi will now be looking to build on the performance. The former Nottingham Forest striker will be hoping for another start when the Sky Blues face Hull City in the Premier League this weekend.