Former Chelsea and England international leads Sky Blues to promotion to Premier League
Frank Lampard became emotional during interview with Sky Sports
Frank Lampard fought back tears on live television after leading Coventry City to promotion to the Premier League. A 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers confirmed the Sky Blues’ return to the top flight.
Bobby Thomas’ equalizer in the 84th minute put the club over the line and they remained at the top of the Championship all season. It came shortly after Ryoya Morishita’s 54th-minute opener, and the party of more than 7,000 away fans was threatened to be delayed.
Lampard, broadcast live on Sky Sports after the draw, was visibly emotional and his voice cracked slightly. “I get emotional because they (the team) are so great to work with and every moment deserves to be celebrated,” he said.
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“This league is tough. Even teams fighting for relegation…people think it’s easy but it’s not easy. It’s getting harder and harder.
“I’m proud of myself, my players and my staff.
“We were in a bit of an unknown situation, but we saw how the players responded and how the fan base responded and fell in love with it.”
Lampard joined Coventry in November 2024, replacing long-serving manager Mark Robins. Last season, he led the team to the play-offs, but they suffered heartbreak in the semi-finals against eventual champions Sunderland.
Frank Lampard celebrates Coventry City’s return to the Premier League (Image: Lewis Storey/Getty Images)
He has recently been named as one of the candidates to replace the departed Andoni Iraola at Bournemouth. However, the Cherries appear to be closing in on signing former Borussia Dortmund manager Marco Rose.
Lampard last took charge in the Premier League as Chelsea’s caretaker manager in 2023. Their last game was a 1-1 draw with Newcastle at Stamford Bridge.
Coventry’s future goal is to win the Championship title. The Sky Blues are 11 points behind second-placed Ipswich with three games remaining this season. But the Tractor Boys have two games left.
Coventry’s return to the Premier League will be 25 years since they last played in the top tier.
They suffered relegation to League Two in 2017 and played a season away from their home base, CBS Arena.
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+ and Ultimate TV packages
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundles to include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, plus 135 channels and complete coverage of the Premier League and EFL from Sky.
Sky has over 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more, with at least 215 of them live from the top flight, along with F1, darts and golf.
