'These are the qualities we signed him for' – Lampard praises Super Eagles star Taiwo Awoniyi

Taiwo Awoniyi wasted no time announcing himself at Coventry City, delivering a match-winning performance that earned glowing praise from manager Frank Lampard as the Sky Blues booked their place in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

The Nigerian international, making his first start since joining Coventry, scored within three minutes and created another goal moments later as his side survived a spirited Plymouth fightback to claim an entertaining 4-2 victory on Tuesday night.

For Lampard, the display was exactly why the club moved to bring the Super Eagles forward to the Coventry Building Society Arena.

Speaking after the match, Lampard admitted Awoniyi is still building match sharpness but believes supporters have already seen the qualities that convinced Coventry to sign him.

“I think so. He played some good pre-season minutes at Forest, although probably not so much in his last sort of 10 days before coming to us,” Lampard said.

The former Chelsea boss believes the striker's fitness will continue to improve with regular football.

He added, “So it was good to get him on the pitch at the Emirates and then he starts the game tonight and he gets his goal and an assist. He'll be getting fit at this point, but I thought we saw the qualities that we brought him here for.”

The attention now quickly shifts back to league football. Coventry face fellow newcomers Hull City on Saturday in what already looks like an important early-season fixture.

The two clubs arrive in contrasting moods. Coventry opened their Premier League campaign with a heavy 3-0 defeat to champions Arsenal, while Hull stunned Manchester United with an impressive 2-0 victory.