Coventry City 1 Aston Villa 3: Tammy Abraham at the double

The Carabao Cup might not be top of Unai Emery’s list of priorities this season but at this point of his Villa rebuild, any win is valuable.

This 3-1 victory at Coventry was just their second of the season and should at least boost the mood heading into Saturday lunchtime’s Premier League match at Tottenham.

It should also have restored some belief to Tammy Abraham who, after a slow start to the campaign which mirrored that of the team, scored his first goals of the season to help send Villa into the fourth round of this competition for just the second time in Emery’s reign.

Abraham opened the scoring inside seven minutes and then bagged his second, after Ross Barkley had also profited from the home side’s apparent inability to defend set pieces.

The latter two goals came after Victor Torp have levelled things with an excellent free-kick and for a period the Sky Blues had their Midlands rivals wobbling.

Yet in a match where neither team looked particularly solid at the back, it was Villa who always possessed the greater attacking quality and they were deserved winners of the first meeting between the clubs in 25 years.

The standard of the opposition cannot be ignored. Coventry boss Frank Lampard made nine changes to the team which started Sunday’s chastening home defeat to Brighton. Torp’s goal was the first the Sky Blues had scored against top-flight opposition all season.

But there were encouraging performances in a Villa side which featured three full debutants in Ibrahim Mbaye, Matteo Ruggeri and Taylor Harwood-Bellis.

On the flip side, this was another concerning night for Alejandro Garnacho, who again did not make it off the bench.

Despite seven changes to Villa’s team, it was a player who kept his place who created the opener.

George Hemmings had come close to delivering a big moment in his previous five starts and here, in the seventh minute, it was his deft pass from the wing which set Abraham bearing down on goal. The striker cooly rolled the ball past the advancing Dan Bentley to open his account for the season.

Villa looked dangerous every time they attacked and Ruggeri saw an effort blocked at close range.

But there has been a slackness to Villa’s play all season and with the half-hour mark approaching it came back to bite them again.

Barkley, under no pressure, trod on the ball trying to control it and was forced to bring down Caleb Yirenkyi 25 yards from goal.

Torp whipped the free-kick over the wall and under the bar and suddenly the visitors were wobbling.

Cherif thumped an effort wide before an underhit Barkley pass was pounced on by Bobby Thomas. The Sky Blues skipper opted to try and find Cherif rather than shoot and Lamare Bogarde nipped in to make a vital intervention.

Villa needed a response to settle them and should have found it when a blocked Mbaye shot fell to John McGinn but he sent his effort wide.

Barkley then looked to make amends for his earlier error with a shot from outside the box which Bentley tipped round the post.

From the corner, the midfielder did score, stooping low at the near post to head home Mbaye’s delivery and restore Villa’s advantage.

There was still time for the hosts to fashion another chance before the break, Cherif being denied by Marco Bizot at the near post after breaking clear.

That would be the keeper’s last serious action of the night as he was replaced by Zion Suzuki at the break.

It was the home side who then started the second half on the front foot but their inability to defend set pieces would see them fall further behind and Abraham get his second of the night.

McGinn’s low delivery, intentional or not, was missed by everyone before being converted by the striker four yards out.

Villa nearly struck again from a set piece when Hemmings was left unmarked to meet an Mbaye cross. This time the finish went over the bar.

Coventry kept pushing but never seriously threatened to get back into it after that.

Coventry (3-4-2-1): Bentley, Amenda (Pinnock 12), Thomas, Mfuni (Bidwell 73), Latibeaudiere, Yirenkyi (Onyeka 73), Torp, Sakamoto (Tchaouna 57), Hamer, Gboho, Cherif (Simms 57) Subs not used: Grimes, Mason-Clark, Thomas-Asante, Wilson (gk).

Villa (4-2-3-1): Bizot (Suzuki HT), Wan-Bissaka, Harwood-Bellis, Mings, Ruggeri, Bogarde, Barkley, McGinn (Buendia 64), Mbaye (Manzambi 64), Hemmings (Alysson 79), Abraham (Jackson 69) Subs: Cash, Lindelof, Kamara, Garnacho.