Abraham double sends Aston Villa past Coventry in Carabao Cup

Tammy Abraham scored twice as Aston Villa defeated Coventry City 3-1 to book their place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.

The striker took his chance to impress Unai Emery after turning down loan opportunities during the summer in a bid to establish himself at Villa.

Abraham had been allowed to explore a move but rejected approaches from Ipswich Town and Everton, with Emery challenging him to show he deserved a place in the team.

Abraham makes his chance count

The 28-year-old needed only seven minutes to open the scoring, producing a composed finish after Villa made a quick start.

Coventry responded through Victor Torp, who curled a superb free-kick into the top corner from around 25 yards to level the contest. Gustavo Hamer then went close with another effort from distance.

Villa regained control before half-time, however, when Ross Barkley was left unmarked to glance a corner beyond the Coventry defence.

The hosts continued to struggle defensively and Abraham put the result beyond doubt shortly before the hour mark.

The forward shrugged off debutant Stephen Mfuni before tapping in from John McGinn’s corner to complete his double.

Villa ease through as Coventry struggle

Abraham’s performance was particularly significant after he had managed just one goal in his previous 16 appearances, with that strike coming in April.

His two goals also came after Villa made seven changes to the side that lost to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Villa were given some concern by Torp’s equaliser, but ultimately progressed comfortably as Coventry’s difficult start continued.

The Sky Blues have now suffered five defeats in their opening six matches and have conceded 15 goals across all competitions. Their home defeat also followed Sunday’s heavy 5-0 loss to Brighton.

Villa, meanwhile, will travel to Bournemouth in the fourth round, with the ties scheduled for the week commencing 26 October.