Frank Lampard reveals what Sunderland AFC did "brilliantly" v Coventry City | OneFootball

The Sky Blues boss was very complementary about a certain aspect of the Black Cats' performance in their play-off semi-final first leg clash.

Coventry City manager Frank Lampard was full of praise for how Regis Le Bris' Sunderland side defended in their 2-1 win over the Sky Blues in their play-off semi-final first leg on Friday night.

With the scores still level at 0-0 heading into half-time at the CBS Arena, both bosses were probably content with how their respective sides were performing.

Coventry enjoyed the lion's share of the possession, whilst Sunderland were looking set to take the tie back to the Stadium of Light with things as they were at the start of the evening.

However, goals from Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda ensured that despite a quickfire Jack Rudoni equaliser, it would be the Black Cats taking a one-goal lead into Tuesday night's second leg on Wearside.

Speaking via The Northern Echo following the conclusion of Friday's semi-final first leg, Sky Blues boss Lampard was highly complimentary of the way Sunderland setup from a defensive point of view.

He said: "Sunderland defended their box brilliantly. They defended low, that was their approach. They made it hard for us to find spaces and get clear opportunities.

"I wasn’t too frustrated. It’s a play-off game, so you’re never expecting them to open the doors for you. That’s never going to happen. We tried to make some small tweaks, but they kept closing the space when we were trying to move the ball.

"It’s not easy. I’ve played against a low block many a time, and it’s not easy. You’ve got to keep going. If the game had finished 0-0, we would have gone again on Tuesday, but obviously circumstances changed in the second half."

Frank Lampard and Coventry will have to find a way through Sunderland's defensive block at the Stadium of Light

Deploying a 4-4-2 formation, Le Bris instructed his Sunderland players to invite pressure onto them from Coventry.

Perhaps in part due to the respect the Black Cats have for Coventry's attacking threats, but this was evidently a deliberate ploy from the Sunderland boss.

The Wearsiders were looking to spring traps on the counter-attack all evening, and this worked to perfection with their opening goal from Isidor.

Given the success of this 4-4-2 formation and tactical strategy, and now with a 2-1 lead to protect, it's surely likely that Le Bris will deploy this same approach when the two sides reconvene on Tuesday night.

Therefore, it's pivotal that in the intervening days prior to the second leg, Lampard and his coaching staff must mastermind a plan that will be able to counter the Black Cats' defensive structure, as Coventry know that they have to force the issue on Wearside if they want to be playing at Wembley Stadium later this month.