Arsenal's championship pretensions looked a trifle wan on a chilly St Stephen's Day evening at Highfield Road. For a long time Arsene Wenger's team were outpaced, out-passed and even out-shot by an inspired Coventry City side and when they did manage to develop an attacking momentum of their own it was too late.
Thus Arsenal will go into tomorrow's encounter with Leeds at Highbury eight points behind the Premiership leaders and needing to win simply to stay in touch with the race. Unless they improve on yesterday's fitful performance this will be a tall order, even with Patrick Vieira back from suspension.
Still lacking Dennis Bergkamp because of a groin strain, Arsenal seldom reproduced their better footballing rhythms and while a wonderful late goal from Davor Suker held out the promise of salvation it would not have been a point they really deserved.
This was Arsenal's fifth league defeat of the season and they cannot afford many more if the title is to be regained or a Champions League place secured. Significantly their previously parsimonious defence has leaked 20 goals in 19 games whereas last season it conceded 17 in 38.
The present Coventry side looks attractive on paper but the contents do not always match the packaging. Yesterday, however, Gordon Strachan's players lived up to their billing.
With Gary McAllister, 35 on Christmas Day, and making his 100th league appearance for the club, orchestrating their movements, Coventry left Arsenal in the unusual position of struggling to keep up with the game. What disturbed Arsenal's composure at the back, however, was the assurance with which Cedric Roussel, the Belgian striker Coventry have borrowed from Ghent, regularly beat Tony Adams in the air, although Wenger said afterwards that the England defender was not fully fit.
Yet the match might have taken a different course had Marc Overmars accepted a simple chance in the fifth minute. Thierry Henry and Nwankwo Kanu having split the Coventry defence, Overmars was left with only Magnus Hedman barring the way, but the Swedish goalkeeper spread himself well to keep out the Dutchman's shot.
Not that Arsenal were allowed much time to ponder the possible consequences of such profligacy. In the next minute Roussel nodded the ball down for McAllister to drive a well-struck shot past David Seaman from 25 yards, a deflection off Martin Keown leaving the goalkeeper flat-footed on his line.
In attack Arsenal offered only a vague, woolly presence near goal. Even their corners and free-kicks, usually such a threat, were unproductive. Overmars's reluctance to take on Paul Telfer, a makeshift right-back, more than he did was a mystery.
Nine minutes before half-time Fredrik Ljungberg was unable to make contact at the far post after Kanu and Henry had again turned Coventry's defence on the right. Two minutes later Kanu's attempt to dribble his way through to goal was thwarted by Stephen Froggatt and again Arsenal quickly rued the moment.
Another two minutes and Moustapha Hadji cleverly controlled a ball from Froggatt before beating Seaman from the edge of the penalty area with a wonderful shot on the turn.
As Hedman ended the half by pushing around a post a shot from Henry, Highfield Road luxuriated in the rare spectacle of Arsenal being taught a lesson in goal-keeping, defending and finishing.
Ljungberg did add a touch of angst to Coventry's evening in the 67th minute when he forced the ball into the net at the third attempt, but in the 71st minute Robbie Keane scored with a flick beyond Seaman's reach.
Four minutes from the end Suker, who had replaced Gilles Grimandi, dribbled in from the left past two defenders before scoring Arsenal's second goal. But any result other than a Coventry victory would have been an injustice.
McAllister, who is enjoying his football as much as ever, said: "I'm enjoying an Indian summer. For us to do well we have to win at Highfield Road and that's what we have done here.
"Arsenal will be disappointed and they went right to the final wire but this victory should give us confidence. It proved to our players that we can beat a quality team and overcome quality players like Arsenal."
Coventry: Hedman, Telfer, Williams, Breen, Froggatt, Hadji, Palmer, McAllister, Chippo (Gustafsson 90), Roussel, Keane (Whelan 81). Subs Not Used: Ogrizovic, Normann, Eustace. Goals: McAllister 6, Hadji 40, Keane 71.
Arsenal: Seaman, Dixon, Keown, Adams, Winterburn, Ljungberg, Petit, Grimandi (Suker 60), Overmars, Henry, Kanu. Subs Not Used: Manninger, Silvinho, Luzhny, Barrett. Booked: Grimandi, Henry. Goals: Ljungberg 67, Suker 86.
Referee: R Harris (Oxford).
