Coventry climb out of the bottom three, while Sunderland, down to 10 men after a stoppage-time red card, remain at the foot of the table.
Taiwo Awoniyi scored his first league goal for Coventry on Saturday, doubling the home side's lead in a 3-1 win over Sunderland at the Coventry Building Society Arena. The result lifted Coventry out of the Premier League relegation zone.
Tatsuhiro Sakamoto put Coventry ahead in the 17th minute with his first Premier League goal. A clearance by Trai Hume struck teammate Luke O'Nien and fell for Sakamoto, who finished from the edge of the box. Sunderland had a chance to level, but Brian Brobbey dragged his shot wide.
Awoniyi made it 2-0 in the 37th minute. He won the ball off O'Nien, drove into the penalty area and scored, his first league goal since joining the club in the summer. He was replaced in the 72nd minute.
Jack Rudoni made it 3-0 early in the second half. A deflection off Omar Alderete changed the path of his attempt, leaving Robin Roefs stranded.
Sunderland got a way back in the 67th minute. Simon Hooper pointed to the spot after Ethan Pinnock used an arm to block O'Nien's strike, and Enzo Le Fée sent Carl Rushworth the wrong way. It was Sunderland's first Premier League goal since 20 September.
The visitors' frustration grew, and Alderete was shown a second yellow card in stoppage time, leaving them with 10 men. Sunderland boss Régis Le Bris said: "We gave two opportunities from two unforced errors and it changed the game."
Le Bris said his side had been good in the Carabao Cup and the Europa League. "Consistency is the key word in this league," he said. He added:
"It's the best level in the world. At the moment, we are not consistent enough."
Coventry boss Frank Lampard told Sky Sports: "The performance was really good." He praised the way his side approached the game: "I love the way we approached it. Don't sit back, keep pushing and doing the same things, but it won't always be that way."
The win was Coventry's third Premier League victory of the season, and it came after they had failed to score in five of their eight matches. Sunderland have won none of their past seven league games, with two draws and five defeats in that run. Sunderland remain bottom, on five points from nine league games.
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