Frank Lampard and Matt Grimes reflect on Coventry City's defeat against Sunderland 🎙️

How do you feel about your team's performance? Good performance. The mistakes, I didn't dwell on those too much, they're clear. But performance was good. Couldn't break the deadlock enough because they defended their box so well. But we did everything we could for big parts of the game without maybe that little end bit. And that's it, half-time in the tie. You threw everything at them, didn't you? Yeah, so I can't ask for more really. Sometimes you just hope one lands on Rudy's head, heads it. Hadji has a great touch, great tackle from them. Lots of bits, lots of bits. If they play like that, they risk that another day you score three or four from bits. But it didn't happen, so we go again. The game may look different on Tuesday, we know that. It may feel different at their stadium whether they play the same way. But proud of the players. We don't get the result that we deserve. We obviously don't deserve to lose the game and we know the reason why. But at the same time, we can't drop our heads and understand that there's loads to play for. They obviously came to frustrate you. Do you expect them to approach it a bit differently, their players? I don't know. The manager, it's his choice, isn't it? But the fact that they came to play that way, they came fourth in the league, we came fifth, I think is probably a compliment in a way. They did their job well. Defending spaces, making them tight and hoping and waiting for counter-attack. They got one and then obviously the other goal I've spoken about. That can happen at any level of football. We controlled it, clearly. We'll go again, who knows what it'll look like Tuesday. It was a great response to conceding the score so quickly and that really erupted the place. Yeah, it did. I think we deserved that this evening. As I say, we didn't deserve to lose and when we go one down, it's a really, really rare attack. Then we go and do it and score with a great bit of skill from Milan, across, Rudy's doing what Rudy's doing. So, great feeling there. At that point, I was like, well, I think we look like the team who are going to score another one and if we don't, it's 1-1 and we go there. But, no big change, one goal, we know what it is. I know you don't want to reflect on individual errors after a game but it struck me Milan was clearly very upset and he was upset at the end of the game. Lots of your players were trying to pick him up. Is that something you need to do over the next couple of days? It's good. It's great. I like that, teams together. You've got personal experience of it not being over. Do you have to instil that belief in the players or do you think it will be there? They believe it. They believe it. It's going to be hard. We may lose the game. We may not go through. It's football. A short while ago, we were far from making the play-offs. Football is strange. We made the play-offs. We dominated the first leg but they've got the result. Credit to them for that. Absolute credit. The way they played, it's their choice. It's the second game now, so let's see. You've got Afro Mason Clarke on the pitch. Is that potentially a boost ahead of Tuesday night? Yeah, yeah. He hasn't met loads of training days but he's a big influence for us. He gives us good balance in the team and what he can do. We'll have to see how he goes in the four days. In your last home game here, I think it's a sick 30,000-plus crowd. You've really pulled them in. The players have. We're playing good stuff. It's difficult when the team plays like they did today because people have an idea of how you should or could have broken them down. It's really tough. The fans are with us all the way through. The noise at the beginning was incredible. The second half, when we scored. I'm disappointed for them but I think they appreciate what the lads have given tonight. Thanks to the fans. Amazing. And the travelling fans will be at Sunderland as well. How do you reflect on that tonight? Disappointing to lose so late on but we're two on down at half-time. It is what it is. We've got to regroup and go again on Tuesday. You dominated the possession, dominated the territory, threw everything at them really. Yeah, of course. We're very good here at the CBS. We knew we'd have a lot of the ball. They're a very dangerous team with really good individual qualities. They showed that in glimpses and got the goals. Like I said, it is what it is. Dust ourselves down and go again. How hard were they to break down? Yeah, they're a really well-drilled team. Like I said, they've got some very good quality. On another night, I thought we could have had two or three. We'll crack on and keep prepping as we usually do. They're always threatening on the break. You dealt with quite a lot of those threats yourself. Frustrating in the end that they managed to break away twice. Yeah, like I said, it is what it is. It's part of the game. You have to stay switched on for the full 96, 97 minutes. Like I said, they've got some very good players with very good qualities. We'll make sure that we learn from what we can and go again on Tuesday. Big positive was the way you responded to the first goal with the quick equaliser. Yeah, of course. We're very good here at home, like I said. We always knew we could score. It was just a case of keeping going, keep doing what we're doing. We got our rewards after their first goal, which was a good time to hit back. Like I said, just frustrating that we couldn't get the second. Obviously an error for Milan for the second goal. He looked distraught both after the error and at the end of the game. A lot of players trying to pick him up. Is that something you'll try and do now as a squad? Yeah, of course. I mean, Milan's an unbelievable player. Unbelievable player. He's been brilliant for us this season. He plays near enough every game. He's one of the best right-backs in the league, in my opinion. Mistakes happen in football. We'll pick him up, no problem at all. We've got such a good group, such a good camaraderie. We'll all be together and we'll get on and fully focus on Tuesday. Your last game of the season here, I think it was the sixth crowd of over 30,000. Again, the crowd, they never stopped, did they? Incredible, yeah, incredible. I said previously I was been blown away by the support here and it was actually one of the first games, a QPR game, and it was like 24,000 on a Tuesday or Wednesday night, which I thought was unbelievable. And then again, to get those numbers in the last couple of home games is fantastic. They do really play such a big part and yeah, we're looking forward to the away support on Tuesday as well. What do you need to do on Tuesday night to turn it around? Win the game. There's obviously only one goal in it, so it's already close. Yeah, of course, of course. We're writing it. Obviously, like I say, disappointing to concede last minute, but it is what it is. We'll have to go there and win. Do you think it'll be a different sort of game, the way Sunderland approach this one tonight? I've no idea how they approach it, to be honest, but our job remains the same. And there is still that belief there, is it, that you can win this? Yeah, 100%. 100%. Like I said, we're 2-1 down at half-time, so we need to learn from what's happened tonight and crack on like we usually do. Thank you.