Big Character - Onyeka breaks silence after dominant man of the match display for Lampard's Coventry

Frank Onyeka did not say much. He rarely needs to. His football does the talking and on Saturday against West Bromwich Albion, it spoke loudly enough for the entire Hawthorns to hear.

The Super Eagles midfielder delivered a commanding man of the match performance as Coventry City swept West Brom aside 2-0, earning the individual award in just his second appearance for the club since joining on loan from Brentford.

After the final whistle, Onyeka broke his silence and kept it simple.

"Big character shown by everyone today," he posted. Four words. Everything you need to know about the man.

Frank Lampard has been searching for a midfield anchor since taking charge of Coventry. On Saturday, he found confirmation that the search is over.

Onyeka played 86 minutes before making way for Victor Torp, and in that time he was everywhere, winning the ball, protecting the defence, recycling possession, and setting the tempo for everything Coventry wanted to do.

The numbers back up what the eye test was already screaming.

Eight duels won from twelve. Five ball recoveries. Three clearances. Four tackles won. A passing accuracy of 73% from 44 attempts, including one key chance created.

For a midfielder playing only his second game in a new system, in a new environment, those are not statistics. They are a statement.

The opening goal arrived in the fifth minute, and Onyeka's fingerprints were all over it. He won possession in midfield, drove forward, and started the move that ended with Ephron Mason-Clark finishing coolly to put the Sky Blues ahead.

It was the kind of contribution that does not always make the highlights reel but makes every manager on the touchline lean forward and take notice.

Coventry kept a clean sheet. With Onyeka sitting in front of the defence, running the middle block with the discipline of a player who has been doing this for years, that was no accident.

This performance did not arrive from nowhere. Onyeka heads into this Championship run carrying the confidence of a player who spent January proving himself on the biggest continental stage in African football.

At AFCON 2025 in Morocco, the Brentford man was one of Nigeria's standout performers, industrious, combative, and consistently reliable in the midfield battles that define tournament football. The Super Eagles brought home bronze. Onyeka brought home the form.

Lampard clearly recognised it. And after Saturday, so does everyone else at Coventry.