Frank Lampard admitted Coventry City are going through a “difficult moment” after their once-commanding lead at the top of the Championship all but vanished.
The Sky Blues were beaten 2–1 by Queens Park Rangers, a result that leaves them still top of the table but now level on points with second-placed Middlesbrough. The defeat underlined a worrying trend away from home, with Coventry now winless in their last seven road games.
The situation marks a dramatic shift from November, when Lampard’s side held a 10-point cushion after defeating Boro. That advantage has since disappeared, turning the title race into a straight shoot-out.
“We have to stay positive and focus on the next one,” Lampard told BBC Radio Coventry and Warwickshire. “We’re in a difficult moment, that’s clear — but we’re still top of the league. The gap has gone now, so it’s a race and we must pick ourselves up very quickly.”
Coventry had taken the lead through a Josh Eccles header, but QPR responded with goals from Richard Kone and Nicolas Madsen to claim a notable victory — especially after suffering a heavy 7–1 defeat to the Sky Blues earlier in the season.
Lampard felt his team failed to cope with key aspects of the contest.
“We didn’t deal with the messy parts of the game well enough — second balls, a few duels — and we got punished,” he said. “It was a great goal from Josh, a great ball from Rudy.
You felt, on a pitch like this against a tough opponent, it would be tight, so to go ahead gives you belief. But we couldn’t manage it from there.”
With the margin for error now gone, Coventry’s response in the coming fixtures could prove decisive in the promotion race.
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