Taiwo Awoniyi takes responsibility for Lampard losing back to back

Coventry City striker Taiwo Awoniyi has accepted partial responsibility for his side’s 1-0 Premier League defeat to Hull City after missing a string of crucial opportunities.

The Nigeria international expressed his frustration following the narrow loss at the Coventry Building Society Arena on Saturday, August 29.

Coventry dominated large spells of their first home top-flight fixture in 25 years but were ultimately punished when Liam Millar finished an 82nd-minute counter-attack.

Awoniyi was directly involved in Coventry’s best attacking sequences but failed to break the deadlock during an entertaining first half.

He was repeatedly denied by Hull City goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis, including one sequence where the forward failed to cleanly convert from close range.

“We did quite well in terms of having the ball, but unfortunately, they had that great counterattack, and they took their chance,” Awoniyi stated. “It is on us to take our chances as well.”

The forward specifically acknowledged Tzolakis’s performance while admitting he should have been more clinical inside the penalty area.

“The chances that we had were the ones that the goalkeeper saved,” he explained. “I wanted to put my foot in, and that was one of the clear chances that we had, and I think the keeper was brilliant for them.”

The result means Frank Lampard’s Coventry City side remain without a single point after their opening two league fixtures.

Their latest setback immediately follows a 3-0 opening-weekend defeat to reigning champions Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

Despite the back-to-back league losses, Awoniyi has already opened his goalscoring account since completing his £9 million transfer from Nottingham Forest earlier this month. He found the back of the net during Coventry’s 4-2 Carabao Cup victory over Plymouth Argyle on August 25.

Awoniyi and his teammates must quickly regroup before facing a demanding away test against Manchester City on September 5.