Sakamoto and Awoniyi scored before the break
Sakamoto opened the scoring in the 17th minute with his first Premier League goal. Awoniyi doubled the lead in the 37th after taking the ball from Luke O’Nien and scoring his first league goal for Coventry.
The two first-half goals rewarded Coventry’s ability to turn Sunderland mistakes into direct attacks. The visitors reached the interval needing an immediate response.
Rudoni extended the lead before Le Fee replied
Jack Rudoni made it 3-0 in the 52nd minute when his effort took a deflection off Alderete. Sunderland reduced the deficit in the 67th after Ethan Pinnock handled the ball and Enzo Le Fee converted the penalty.
Le Fee’s penalty ended Sunderland’s league goal drought, but it did not begin a full comeback. Coventry protected the two-goal margin through the remaining normal time.
The sending-off came after every goal
Alderete received his second yellow card in the 90+9th minute. Because all four goals had already been scored, the numerical advantage did not contribute to Coventry’s victory.
That timing is important when reading the match. Coventry won the decisive phases against eleven opponents rather than building the result after an early dismissal.
Coventry climbed out of the relegation zone
Sunderland led the total shot count 17-12, but Coventry held a 4-2 advantage in efforts on target. The hosts’ greater accuracy helped them take three points despite having fewer attempts.
Coventry moved to 16th place with nine points. Sunderland remained bottom with five, and their late red card added another problem after the result had already been decided.