Frank Lampard avoids defeat in first game as Coventry boss as Victor Torp’s late penalty rescues a point for the Sky Blues against Cardiff

Frank Lampard avoided defeat in his first game as Coventry manager after Victor Torp scored the sort of pressure penalty his boss used to relish.

Lampard, who was hired last week, was taunted by the Cardiff supporters until the home side won a controversial penalty in the closing stages. Torp, a second half substitute, converted it, with Lampard walking calmly back to his dugout afterwards.

Nine pages in the programme were devoted to Lampard and he was generally warmly welcomed by fans still smarting at the sacking of Mark Robins earlier this month. 

His side twice fell behind to goals in either half from Yakou Meite and Alex Robertson, though Ephron Mason-Clark soon cancelled out Meite’s early strike and Torp stopped the Bluebirds heading back to south Wales with three points.

Lampard played it cool when introduced to the crowd and was probably glad he had done so when his team conceded in the fifth minute.

When Cardiff took a short corner, Meite was left unmarked inside the area to head in Robertson’s cross. The Sky Blues looked vulnerable without the ball yet they carried a threat in possession and equalised quickly.

Coventry twice fell behind at the CBS Arena with Yakou Meite and Alex Robertson on target

But Victor Torp was on hand to rescue a point for the hosts from the penalty spot in the closing stages

Tatsuhiro Sakamoto’s chip was sublime and was met with a solid close-range volley from Mason-Clark. Jak Alnwick got a hand to the ball but could not stop it creeping over the line.

Both sides created chances. Brad Collins looked shaky in the Coventry goal and nearly spilled David Turnbull’s shot over the line. Meite missed a great chance to score his second after more uncertain defending.

Coventry head chances of their own, with Norman Bassette twice going close with his head. In between those opportunities, Lampard had a tense exchange with the fourth official after referee James Bell had stopped play for an injury to Turnbull.

After watching his players start the first half so sloppily, Lampard must have been furious when they made the same mistake twice. The second period was barely two minutes old when no Coventry defender closed down Robertson and he pinged the ball into the far corner from nearly 30 yards.

That should have been the signal for a Coventry onslaught but it simply never arrived. Apart from a free-kick by Jack Rudoni that was pushed around the post, and a header from Cardiff substitute Joel Bagan that nearly beat his own goalkeeper, the Welsh club were rarely in trouble. Their fans even felt confident enough to taunt Lampard with chants of ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning’.

Just when it seemed as though the home side would finish the match empty handed, substitute Ellis Simms’ cross was judged to have been handled by Calum Chambers. After a lengthy delay, Torp ignored Alnwick’s attempts to distract him and sent the Cardiff ‘keeper the wrong way from the spot.