Coventry City 0, Newcastle United 2
Dec 10 2009 by Mark Douglas, The Journal
Arms went up instantly to appeal but referee Grant Hegley was stoically unmoved – provoking howls of derision from the away fans.
Hegley was proving a difficult man to convince and was similarly unimpressed by Lovenkrands' appeal for a spot kick when Barnett appeared to shove United's great Dane in the back. In between the two penalty shouts, Enrique was just inches away from opening the scoring with a deflected shot which had Kieren Westwood beaten but crept just wide of the Coventry goal'keeper's left-hand post.
A forging run from Freddy Eastwood brought Coventry back into the game as an attacking force, but the Sky Blues were foiled by the woodwork twice in a minute to keep the scores level.
First, Leon Best clattered a drive against the crossbar before McIndoe's deflected header suffered the same fate in the build up.
If that gave Chris Coleman's side hope, it was to be cruelly dashed by a piece of supreme Ameobi opportunism in first-half injury time.
The striker had been formidable with his back to goal bringing others into play, but this time he opted for the selfish route, picking up Jose Enrique's slotted pass and rifling past Westwood after swivelling past Leon Barnett.
Coventry's second-half response was spirited. Eastwood, the man who made his name by knocking out Manchester United with a curling free-kick as a callow youth, began to cause problems and United were indebted to Butt, Harper and Ameobi for vital interceptions.
The Sky Blues shaded the second half and deserved better. They had plenty of fleet-footed attacking brio but no cutting edge, and when nobody followed up after Harper stooped to block Arnasson's effort it summed up their evening.
Coleman's side appeared to have blown themselves out after that brief flurry and United put them out of their misery with eight minutes remaining on the clock.
Coloccini cut out a tentative McIndoe cross and strode purposefully before feeding Enrique, who teased a cross into Ranger's path for an easy first strike.
United's jubilant support responded with chants of "you are getting sacked in the morning" to the luckless Coleman, which a smattering of the home fans joined in with. Christmas spirit thin on the ground in the West Midlands – but United go marching on.
