Sunderland stay bottom after 3-1 loss to Coventry

Sunderland remained bottom of the Premier League after losing 3-1 to Coventry, a result that intensified questions over manager Régis Le Bris’s position. The defeat left Sunderland with five points from nine matches and extended their winless league run to seven games. Coventry built a three-goal lead through Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, Taiwo Awoniyi and Jack Rudoni. Enzo Le Fée scored Sunderland’s only goal from the penalty spot. Sunderland defender Omar Alderete was sent off late after receiving a second yellow card. Le Bris said his side’s league difficulties were not unexpected, pointing to a demanding schedule and the challenge of playing every three days. He acknowledged Sunderland were in a relegation battle and said the team needed to improve, particularly after a first half in which, in his view, errors and inconsistency undermined their performance. The manager said Sunderland had made mistakes that Coventry quickly punished. He also suggested the team might need to play more directly and move the ball forward more incisively while confidence was low. Le Bris said the squad understood the club’s situation and described the players, staff and himself as responsible for...