Baggies produce five-star display

The Baggies held a slender lead at the break courtesy of Chris Brunt's early opener, but Michael Doyle was shown a straight red card at the start of the second half and that allowed Albion to assume total control.

Tony Mowbray's side plundered four second-half goals, with Roman Bednar helping himself to two and substitute Ishmael Miller scoring his first since returning from a hamstring injury. Zoltan Gera completed the rout with a classy finish.

West Brom flew out of the blocks and created three good early chances. Albion's early pressure was rewarded after 12 minutes when Brunt headed home Bednar's cross from the right, stooping to head the ball back across goal into the bottom corner from 12 yards out.

Doyle's second-half sending off baffled most of the 28,163 inside the Ricoh Arena but replays showed that the City captain did have a vicious swing at Gera with his foot as the Hungarian threatened to leave him in his wake on the right wing.

Coventry continued to contribute to their own demise and a howler by Andy Marshall just before the hour-mark presented Bednar with possibly the simplest goal he will score this season.

The Sky Blues goalkeeper kicked a back-pass straight to Bednar inside the area and the Czech coolly ran around him to roll the ball into an empty net.

Bednar grabbed his second goal of the game and his 13th of the campaign from the penalty spot. It was his piece of skill that created the opportunity, forcing Elliott Ward to handle after he flicked the ball up inside the box. Bednar dispatched the spot-kick with aplomb down the centre of the goal.

Miller raced clear after 76 minutes to finish left-footed when one on one with Marshall, before the fifth goal of the game came from Gera.

Miller cut the ball back to the edge of the 18-yard box where Gera shaped to shoot. The Hungarian dummied his way past Ward before jinking his way towards goal where he rounded Marshall and rolled the ball home.