Taiwo Awoniyi opened his Coventry City goalscoring account in style, producing a goal and an assist as the Sky Blues defeated Plymouth Argyle 4-2 in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.
The Nigerian striker was at the heart of Coventry’s blistering opening spell, with Frank Lampard’s men establishing a two-goal cushion within the first five minutes before Plymouth mounted a spirited comeback.
Awoniyi broke the deadlock after Caleb Yirenkyi’s clever flick sent him into a promising position following Liam Kitching’s pass. The forward kept his composure and picked out the corner beyond goalkeeper James Storer.
He turned provider shortly afterwards, creating the chance for Jack Rudoni to make it 2-0 and putting Coventry firmly in control.
Plymouth gradually recovered from the early setback and levelled the contest through Oliver Irow and Xavier Amaechi.
Coventry, however, responded strongly to the hosts’ fightback. Ephron Mason-Clark restored their lead before Victor Torp added another goal to send Lampard’s side into the third round.
The performance earned praise from Lampard, who highlighted Awoniyi’s movement and his combination with Yirenkyi in the build-up to Coventry’s first goal.
“We did have a great start to the game, obviously. Great goals. Taiwo’s goal was brilliant.”
“Great play from us, playing through them and him getting his goal,” Lampard told the club’s YouTube channel.
“It was a really good play and that’s what we brought Caleb here for. He’s a really, really talented young man. There’s so much to his game which is going to get better, and Taiwo was ready to run behind. Took it very, very clean. I was right behind it, actually. He didn’t have much to aim for and got it right in the corner.”
Awoniyi’s contribution comes just days after he made his Coventry debut as a substitute in their 3-0 Premier League defeat against Arsenal.
The 29-year-old moved to Coventry permanently from Nottingham Forest in the summer, with the transfer reportedly costing about £9m.
His latest outing marked his first start for the club and provided an early glimpse of what he could offer Lampard’s newly promoted team.
Awoniyi spent four seasons with Forest after joining the club, making 103 appearances in all competitions and scoring 23 goals. His Premier League record stood at 21 goals from 90 appearances.
The striker enjoyed a particularly productive first season at the City Ground, finding the net 11 times as Forest successfully avoided relegation following their return to the top flight.
He was later part of the Forest team that finished seventh in the Premier League in 2024/25 and secured European football.
With his confidence boosted by his first Coventry goal, Awoniyi will hope to maintain his momentum when the Sky Blues host Hull City in the Premier League on Saturday.
