Jonathan Rowe had prodded Norwich ahead in the first half before Gibson headed through his own net to prevent a first Coventry home defeat since April.
The Canaries came into the weekend with three away defeats on the bounce and had conceded the most goals away from home in the Championship.
David Wagner made four changes to his starting line-up and the Canaries made the brighter start as former Coventry academy graduate Sam McCallum fizzed a cross across goal which narrowly evaded the sliding Adam Idah.
Rowe, Gabriel Sara and Idah all had efforts at goal inside the opening six minutes as Norwich looked for an early opener.
Liam Kitching was making his first start for the Sky Blues since his summer move from Barnsley and he came closest for Coventry in the opening 45 minutes as Angus Gunn was forced to beat away his goal-bound header.
Josh Eccles was left rueing his mistake on the edge of the box when he lost possession to Liam Gibbs, who was making just his second start of the season.
The Norwich midfielder drove into the box and his backheel picked out Jack Stacey, who calmly played in top scorer Rowe to take a touch and poke his effort beyond Ben Wilson.
It was the first time Coventry, who had earned back-to-back wins against QPR and Blackburn, had found themselves behind at half time this season.
Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and Yasin Ayari had been recalled to the starting XI by manager Mark Robins and they combined early in the second half when the Japan international wriggled his way into the box and picked out Ayari, whose shot was blocked for a corner.
Gibbs could have extended the lead after Rowe drove at the Coventry back line and played in the former Ipswich man, but his effort was well blocked.
Summer signings Ellis Simms and midweek match-winner Haji Wright started together for the first time up front but failed to make an impact as the latter was replaced by Matty Godden.
The Sky Blues top scorer teed up Eccles, but his sweetly struck volley was straight at Gunn.
Coventry pushed for a late equaliser as Eccles’ second effort was tipped over by Gunn for a corner.
The Sky Blues finally had their reward a minute from time when Gibson diverted Milan van Ewijk’s inviting cross beyond the despairing Gunn to haul the hosts level.
Mark Robins’ men smelled blood as they went in search of a winner as the returning van Ewijk’s effort was blocked by Gunn before Sakamato’s header from close range was also blocked.
Second-placed Ipswich had drawn 2-2 at Norwich in the early kick off but Daniel Farke’s side failed to take advantage.
Crysencio Summerville opened the scoring with nearly an hour gone after being set up by Georginio Rutter.
Defender Bobby Thomas hit back with 66 minutes played as he rose highest to head home.
Leeds did not start at their usual fast pace which had seen them win seven Championship home matches in a row.
Ben Sheaf’s fine tackle denied Joel Piroe a chance to shoot as Leeds looked to add a goal to their early dominance.
Sheaf brought a save out of Illan Meslier with a shot from the edge of the area.
Tatsuhiro Sakamoto then shot wide from a similar position as Coventry created another opening.
Leeds twice went close as first Glen Kamara was crowded out in the Coventry area and then Rutter failed to get a touch to a low Dan James cross.
James fell in the Coventry area under pressure from Joel Latibeaudiere as they chased an Ethan Ampadu pass but referee Geoff Eltringham rightly ruled there was no contact.
Leeds were guilty of trying to be too cute at both ends of the pitch and Rutter’s touch which failed to put Archie Gray through with a run on goal was typical of that.
Rutter flashed a shot just wide, Thomas blocked the French striker’s low cross and Joe Rodon headed a corner off target as Leeds looked for an opening.
Ampadu blocked Sheaf’s pass and Summerville fed Rutter but his missed shot meant another chance went begging in a goalless first half.
Leeds began the second period camped in the Coventry half but were unable once again to turn their early dominance into a real chance.
Rutter’s shot was blocked in the area but he had a telling contribution to the opening goal after 57 minutes.
Ampadu fed Rutter and his clever touch and pass set up Summerville who curled a low shot around the dive of Brad Collins.
Collins pulled off a one-handed save to deny James who shot on the turn and Coventry made Leeds pay for wasted chances as Thomas headed home the equaliser.
Sakamoto’s cross from the right saw the defender rise highest in the area to head past Meslier.
Substitute Callum O’Hare should have made it 2-1 to the visitors but could not connect with a low cross.
Summerville’s attempt at a repeat of his goal was repelled by Collins who also denied Rutter twice in quick succession and James hooked just wide in stoppage time as Coventry held on.
The Spanish winger produced a neat finish in the 84th minute to condemn the 10-man Sky Blues to their first defeat in 13 matches.
Mark Robins’ side had gone ahead early in the second half through Callum O’Hare’s well-taken goal, only to be pegged back 12 minutes later through Josh Sargent’s close-range finish.
The game turned again with 19 minutes remaining when Liam Kitching was sent off for bringing down Sargent as he burst into the box, with Norwich going on to make their extra man tell to move level with their opponents in the play-off race.
Norwich had marginally the better of a competitive first half which featured plenty of neat passing football but with little end product.
Coventry goalkeeper Bradley Collins did well to push away an early shot from Christian Fassnacht that was heading for the bottom corner before Sargent steered the ball wide from a good position under pressure from a visiting defender.
The sides tended to cancel each other out as the half progressed, with both keepers largely untested.
But Coventry also posed a threat, with the lively Haji Wright bringing out a decent save from Angus Gunn at the near post after trying his luck from a tight angle.
The Sky Blues made their first opportunity of the second period count, however, with O’Hare’s fine individual goal making it 1-0 in the 48th minute.
Norwich put themselves under pressure with a poor throw and Victor Torp slipped the ball through to O’Hare, who skipped past a couple of defenders before slipping the ball past Gunn.
The Norwich keeper then did well to foil a fast-breaking Wright as the Sky Blues sought to press home their advantage but the hosts hit back on the hour mark to level the scores.
Recently-introduced substitute Ashley Barnes saw his shot from a Gabriel Sara cross blocked but the ball fell nicely for Sargent to volley home his sixth goal of an injury-hit campaign.
Norwich were now on the front foot and received a further boost on 71 minutes when Kitching was shown a straight red card for bringing down Sargent on the edge of the box when he was the final defender.
Sara clipped the crossbar from the ensuing free-kick.
Coventry substitute Kasey Palmer was then denied by an excellent reaction save from Gunn but Norwich kept pressing and got their noses in front for the first time on 84 minutes.
The goal came after a break down the left, with Sainz exchanging passes with Barnes on the edge of the box before curling a delightful shot past Collins and into the far corner of the net.
It was a result that damaged the Sky Blues’ chances of reaching the Championship play-offs as they remained four points behind sixth-placed Norwich, who were beaten at Leicester earlier on Easter Monday.
The FA Cup semi-finalists’ run of three league wins in a row was also brought to a shuddering end as they were unable to build on a strong start and Ellis Simms’ opening goal.
Robins said: “Life gives you opportunities sometimes, you’ve got to do everything you can to try and take them. Today feels like one of those that’s got away.
“It [Kitching’s first own goal] is inexplicable, he looks like he’s trying to clear the crossbar with it, rather than move it to the side of the goal, that’s what it looks like to me.
“Sometimes it happens when you’re under pressure and you feel you’ve got to do something, and in that instance you’ve made the wrong decision and the consequences are there.
“I think, to all intents and purposes, that isn’t why we lose the game.
“We had 20 minutes at the end of sort of sustained pressure on them, where we’re trying to get the equaliser.
“We got the one chalked off for offside, but you’ve still got to have that spell where you’ve got to have some bravery.”
Coventry led after 22 minutes when Simms tapped in Milan van Ewijk’s cross for his 11th goal in seven games but Kitching cancelled this out by slamming into the top corner of his own net following a Joe Ralls corner.
Kitching’s miserable afternoon was complete midway through the second half when Josh Bowler’s cross inadvertently deflected in off him.
Cardiff boss Erol Bulut said: “It’s a great victory, in Coventry to win, to come back from 1-0 [down] and win the game was not easy because we’ve seen in Coventry’s last [few] games they’re pushing for the play-offs.
“For us, it’s a big victory and the most important thing is, after the Sunderland game, we’ve shown a reaction.
“It was a great reaction from our team to come back and show this performance.
“We did it [come from behind] a few weeks ago against Ipswich, but it’s not easy when you’ve lost two games in a row: the Swansea derby when the morale goes down and home against Sunderland when everybody was expecting a win.
“So, that’s why it’s really important to come back against Coventry.
“OK, the first goal was luck, the second one was a bigger luck because it’s a cross where the opponent touches it and it went into the goal.”
Owls manager Danny Rohl made four changes to his starting line-up following last week’s 4-0 defeat at Southampton, with new signing James Beadle, on loan from Brighton, making his debut in goal.
Coventry, who began the day unbeaten in their last nine games, were unchanged.
Beadle was called into action in the early stages, getting down to his left to save a shot from Callum O’Hare, before Milan van Ewijk sent in a low cross which just evaded Matt Godden.
The visitors took the lead five minutes before the break when Josh Eccles found Sheaf and he slipped the ball past his marker before firing into the roof of the net.
Wednesday’s Barry Bannan spotted goalkeeper Brad Collins off his line shortly after the restart but his lobbed effort went over the crossbar.
Liam Palmer also had a shot which was blocked for the hosts.
Sheaf scored his second of the afternoon in the 57th minute. Tatsuhiro Sakamoto saw his shot saved by Beadle and the ball fell to Sheaf who turned it into the net from the edge of the six-yard box.
Rohl made four changes just after the hour, with Anthony Musaba, Akin Famewo, Ike Ugbo and Bailey Cadamarteri all coming on.
Josh Windass forced a save from Collins at his near post before pulling a goal back.
Marvin Johnson’s cross caused problems for the Coventry defence, Musaba’s weak header was easily saved and then Windass fired the loose ball into the net.
Substitute Ellis Simms threatened to restore City’s two-goal lead with a shot from a tight angle which went beyond the far post.
As Wednesday desperately battled to get back on level terms there was a goalmouth scramble which ended with the visitors managing to get the ball to safety.
The Sky Blues were initially given an eviction notice in December after failing to agree a new lease when Frasers Group bought the stadium in November following the collapse of Wasps.
The club did strike a deal to be able to play until the end of the season but have now secured a long-term agreement.
Owner Doug King said: “We are delighted to sign this agreement, which we know will be welcomed by Sky Blues fans.
“This agreement will help to provide a period of further stability whilst we continue to build a positive future for Coventry City Football Club.
“The licence will enable us to play at our home, the Coventry Building Society Arena, for a minimum of five years and we will continue to positively engage with Frasers Group with regard to the longer term at the Arena.”
Coventry were forced to play at Northampton in 2013-14 and spent two seasons in Birmingham between 2019 and 2021 after being unable to find agreements with previous owners Arena Coventry Ltd and Wasps.
It is a further boost for the Sky Blues who are fifth in the Sky Bet Championship with two games left.
Mark Robins’ side are looking to end a 22-year exile from the Premier League and host Birmingham on Saturday.
Michael Murray, CEO of Frasers Group, said: “Following our recent acquisition of Coventry Building Society Arena, we are committed to investing into the Arena and the local community, and therefore supporting its future growth.”
It was a point that is likely to be more welcomed by the Black Cats as they continued to recover from losing their first two games of the season.
Sunderland’s Anthony Patterson was the goalkeeper who was called upon more often as the Sky Blues, still adjusting to the loss of key players during the summer, made it three games unbeaten.
Sunderland began brightly, with Bradley Dack miscuing wide after working his way into a good position before Trai Hume launched a long-range effort off target.
There were no clear openings, however, with the final pass lacking from both teams, although Kasey Palmer’s through ball meant for Matty Godden required Patterson to quickly come off his line and gather.
A ricochet from Ben Sheaf’s shot then presented half an opening for Godden, but he could not get any power on his effort and Patterson saved easily.
It was one of the few occasions either goalkeeper was called upon as chances remained at a premium, with defences very much on top.
An opening was finally fashioned by Coventry in the 44th minute when the ball was played through for Ellis Simms and the former Everton striker was denied by the legs of Patterson.
Both sides were hoping for more after a tepid first half, however, and it was Sunderland who made a lively start to the second as they worked Coventry keeper Ben Wilson for the first time after 49 minutes.
Dan Neil’s shot from just outside the area was parried out as far as Dennis Cirkin, who also found his route to goal blocked by Wilson.
Palmer then tried to force a breakthrough for the Sky Blues at the other end, but his shot on the turn from the edge of the box never looked like finding the target.
There was a much better tempo to the game now, though, and Palmer looked sharp again during a good run into the Sunderland area, only to shoot tamely at Patterson.
A raft of substitutions from both sides unfortunately hurt the flow, but Sheaf tried to seize the initiative for Coventry as he snatched a shot from outside the area wide.
Two of the Sky Blues’ substitutes then combined for the clearest opening of the match after 79 minutes as debutant Yasin Ayari, on loan from Brighton, played the ball through for Haji Wright, who was denied by a fine save from Patterson.
The Brazil-born midfielder’s sweet 57th-minute strike clinched a 1-0 aggregate victory in a desperately tight second leg at the Riverside Stadium.
Mark Robins’ side will meet Luton at Wembley on May 27 with a return to the top flight for the first time since 2001 up for grabs.
It proved the perfect ending to a day on which the Sky Blues announced their manager had agreed a new four-year contract, but an intensely disappointing one for opposite number Michael Carrick, whose side will spend a seventh year in the second tier as a result.
Boro started in confident mood with left-back Ryan Giles threatening repeatedly, although they almost shot themselves in the foot after eight minutes when Viktor Gyokeres picked off Tommy Smith’s ill-judged back-pass, but goalkeeper Zack Steffen came to the rescue with a fine save as the striker attempted to round him.
City gradually worked their way into the game and forced a series of free-kicks with defender Kyle McFadzean heading high over from Hamer’s 17th-minute cross, and as Liam Kelly and Ben Sheaf started to make their mark in the middle of the field, there was little to choose between the teams.
Both Chuba Akpom and Cameron Archer felt the full force of Coventry’s rugged approach as Sheaf and then McFadzean clattered into them, and referee David Coote eventually lost patience and booked Callum Doyle for a clumsy challenge on Akpom.
Jake Bidwell bravely blocked Marcus Forss’ shot from Giles’ deep cross five minutes before the break and Darragh Lenihan headed an Alex Mowatt corner straight at Ben Wilson, but the tie remained finely poised when the half-time whistle sounded.
The Sky Blues returned reinvigorated with Jamie Allen conducting affairs menacingly behind lone striker Gyokeres, although the midfielder miskicked from just six yards out after Gyokeres and Sheaf had capitalised on Akpom’s 50th-minute error.
And it was the visitors who forced their way in front when Sheaf pounced on Giles’ loose pass to find Gyokeres, who evaded Steffen’s challenge before Hamer took over, stepped inside Forss and fired into the top corner.
He might have doubled his tally with 15 minutes remaining, but saw his free-kick crash back off the crossbar with Steffen beaten to preserve Boro’s fading hopes.
But despite a last-gasp flurry during which substitute Matt Crooks had the ball in the net from an offside position, Boro were unable to force extra-time.
Mileta Rajovic’s opener was brilliantly cancelled out by Milan van Ewijk to leave the score 1-1 at half-time.
Matheus Martins and a second from Rajovic had Watford ahead twice in the second half, but Wesley Hoedt’s own goal and Matt Godden’s late strike salvaged a point for the Sky Blues.
The game was end to end from the off with an entertaining start from both sides.
The opener nearly came after 20 minutes when Coventry were controversially awarded a penalty with Ryan Porteous harshly adjudged to have handled the ball. Watford were reprieved when Godden’s shot was saved by Daniel Bachmann.
The Hornets then made it 1-0 as Rajovic poked home Tom Ince’s cross from the right-hand side.
However, The Sky Blues hit back before the break with a sensational 30-yard free-kick from Van Ewijk into the bottom left corner.
Shortly after the restart, Watford regained the lead with Martins handed a clear run down the left-hand side before curling into the opposite corner.
After 63 minutes Coventry were gifted an own goal to equalise after a dreadful back pass from Hoedt ended up in the back of the net.
Another error from Watford almost put Coventry ahead, but Haji Wright ran into trouble.
More slack defending, this time from Coventry, saw Vakoun Bayo get onto the end of a back-pass and square for Rajovic to net his second.
The Sky Blues equalised in the 87th minute as Godden thumped home a cross from Wright to atone for his earlier miss from the spot.
The result leaves both clubs with just one victory apiece from their first five Championship games.
City did not disclose the fee received for the 25-year-old, but said it was a club record. A percentage of the fee will be due to his former club Brighton.
Reports have suggested Sporting will pay in the region of £20million for Gyokeres, with Coventry’s previous record the £13million received when Robbie Keane joined Inter Milan in 2000.
Gyokeres scored 23 goals in 50 appearances last term to help Coventry to the Championship play-off final, where they lost to Luton on penalties.
Gyokeres, capped 14 times by Sweden, joined Coventry from Brighton on loan in January 2021 before making the move permanent in that summer, signing a three-year contract. In all, he scored 43 goals in 116 appearances for the Sky Blues.
Mark Robins has already secured a replacement for Gyokeres, having signed Ellis Simms from Everton for £3.5million last week.
Coventry executive chairman Doug King said: “After a long discussion, we have finally concluded a deal that is right for all parties concerned and confirm the transfer of Viktor Gyokeres to Sporting Lisbon.
“Viktor has made a huge impression in his time with us and leaves many great memories and we wish him every success with his new club.
“We have already been active in the market as we rebuild for the new season and will continue to recruit selectively but these funds will also support the extensive infrastructure projects the club is undertaking.”
The Sky Blues go to the Riverside on Wednesday locked at 0-0 from Sunday’s first leg.
Boro finished fourth in the Championship, five points and a place ahead of Coventry, and at the Riverside Robins feels Michael Carrick’s side hold the advantage.
He said: “They’re the favourites to go through so the pressure is on them. There’s no doubt about it. We’ll go out there and really give a good account of ourselves.
“For us, it’s about our preparation and what we can do. The betting companies have made them favourites to win promotion. So, by definition, that makes us least favourites so it is what it is. We just go and deal with what we’ve got in front of us.”
Coventry were not expected to make the play-offs this season, especially after playing seven of their first nine games away from home following the Rugby Sevens at the Commonwealth Games destroying the CBS Arena pitch.
Robins recognises their progress this term but still wants the glory at the end.
“It’s not really a great time to reflect because that time will be whenever this season comes to an end and we can sit back and have a look,” said the manager, who could be without Gustavo Hamer after he suffered a knee injury in the first leg.
“I say sit back, we’re not because we’ve got a busy period of recruitment coming up.
“Regardless of anything, I was asked at the start this season what success would look like and for us, really, you talk about finishing in the Championship, whatever happens.
“If you’re in the Championship it always gives you a chance of doing what we’ve done so far this season.
“Our season was blighted at the start with well-known factors and one of our players (Dominic Hyam to Blackburn) was sold early on which made things very difficult for us.
“Regardless of what happened, the players have responded unbelievably well to get us to this point so they’ve earned the right to go head-to-head against Middlesbrough.
“Whatever happens, yes, it’s been a brilliant progression for us but ultimately you want to try and come out successfully at the other end.”
The 27-year-old landed heavily following a challenge by Andrew Hughes in the first half and was taken off the pitch on a stretcher.
Robins said: “Tatsu’s got a terrible, terrible injury.
“I’m praying and hoping he’s OK because that doesn’t look good at all. They can’t be clear, they’re talking about a pelvic and spinal injury, so I’m just hoping he’s OK.”
The Coventry boss admitted his team were “bullied” from the first whistle to the last as they lost at home for just the second time this season.
Emil Riis thumped a header home in the first minute and was involved heavily in Will Keane’s 12th of the season before Bobby Thomas put through his own net after 38 minutes.
Robins said: “We got bullied. From minute one to minute 98 we got bullied. That’s what I put it down to.
“There’s physical games and then there’s tonight. That was more like when I played, that was like what we used to play in and we just didn’t cope with it.
“We’ve had physical performances before and we’ve been fine, but for whatever reason we just looked disjointed, we looked like a team of individuals and that’s as far away from a performance of any of my teams as it’s ever been, it was poor.
“I take responsibility for everything, the performances have got to be better than that and that was far away from a good performance, but sometimes football kicks you in the teeth.
“We have to get back as quick as we can. The good thing for us is we’ve got a game on Monday (against Maidstone in the FA Cup). There’s a big, big challenge there on Monday against a side that’s going to want to come and do the same thing and put us on the back foot, but we’ve allowed that to happen.”
Preston manager Ryan Lyon hailed a “top performance” from his team.
“Front foot from minute one, set-play goal that we worked on, I couldn’t have asked for any more really,” he said.
“Coventry are a good team, they had a go to be fair, I just thought we were better all round. I thought the lads were fantastic.
“I’m over the moon for the boys, but it’s just another win, it takes us closer to the points tally that we set yesterday, what we did last time.
“We’ve always played different types of football, I think sometimes you have to pay the opposition respect. Coventry are an attacking force who score goals at home, but they couldn’t get near what they want tonight.
“Whatever brand it is, it’s just about winning football matches. The belief has just shot through the roof because of the results they’ve been getting and long may that continue.
“We’ve got 10 or 11 weeks to give it our best shot, the lads have set another target and we’ll just go for that target. I don’t want to get too carried away.
“If we can keep doing the right things, there’s teams that will want to shoot you down, but we’re coming up against teams around us and let’s just give it our best shot.”
Second-placed Ipswich’s 2-2 draw at Norwich in the early kick-off had presented Leeds with the chance to close the gap on the Championship’s automatic promotion places.
Farke said: “My feelings are disappointment and frustration. When you win a point at this level it is always valuable, but it was a case of two points lost.
“We should have won, and we should have got three points. I want us to feel this frustration and not talk too much about the game.
“It was clear Coventry put everyone who could defend on the team sheet. It was clear they would sit very deep, and we would need to be patient.
“We created several good chances in the first half, but we could have done a little bit more.”
Farke felt his side were made to pay for missed chances and for failing to deal with a Coventry counterattack which led to their goal.
He said: “The problem is we didn’t bury the game. We had players behind the ball but allowed the cross to come in.
“There was one cross we had to deal with in the whole game and we didn’t deal with it. We should have defended the situation much better.
“I was pleased with the reaction of my lads when you get such a sucker punch. The amount of chances we missed late in the game was unbelievable.”
Leeds finally took the lead after nearly an hour as Crysencio Summerville curled a shot past the dive of Brad Collins.
Ethan Ampadu had fed Georginio Rutter and his clever touch and pass found Summerville who shot home from the corner of the six-yard box.
Coventry earned a point through a towering header by Bobby Thomas and could have won it had substitute Callum O’Hare connected with a low cross into the Leeds area shortly after.
Leeds pressed for a late winner, but Collins twice denied Rutter before Dan James hooked the ball wide of goal from a chance he should have done better with.
Coventry’s Mark Robins praised his players for their ‘brilliant’ performance.
The Coventry boss said his squad had shown their determination following a draw against Southampton on Wednesday.
He said of Leeds: “They’ve just got unbelievable talent. When you tire because of the squad difference that is why it was a brilliant performance.
“It was a difficult week for us when we haven’t got the depth of squad others have.
“It was a great performance. They have got a squad who have got a wealth of talent.
“We were lucky because the crowd travel in big numbers, they are noisy and get behind us. The amount of energy they have had to expend over the two games.”
Robins was disappointed his side had not punished Leeds for failing to take their chances.
He said: “I am disappointed because of the chances we missed at the end we could have gone and won it. We always carried a threat so that was really pleasing for me. When you come to a place that nobody pays too much attention to Coventry.
“If we could have taken one of the chances we had on the counterattack.”
Michal Helik’s dramatic added-time qualiser cancelled out Yasin Ayari’s opener and ensured Moore’s managerial return did not end in a Sky Bet Championship defeat.
“It’s been an incredible few days getting into the club and working with the boys,” said Moore, who left Sheffield Wednesday in the summer.
“They have taken a lot of information on over the past couple of days. The fighting spirit was incredible and they got their just rewards and something out of the game at the end.
“I’m really pleased with the boys and their second-half performance. I’ve seen enough there and there’s enough quality in the team to get more out of the players and I’ll look forward to working with the boys over the next couple of weeks.
“Once we grew into the game we had to throw caution to the wind and change things up. I thought the boys did that themselves by the way they controlled large parts of the second half and gave themselves confidence.
“Come the end we had to go all out to try and get something out of the game and I’m pleased we fashioned a really good chance and took it.”
The 49-year-old continued: “I’m pleased for the travelling away support that they’ve gone back up north with something to get hold of – and hopefully (there are) encouraging signs from the team.
“I’m looking forward to my first home game in charge against Ipswich. I’m looking forward to being back in front of the home fans.”
Mark Robins was frustrated after seeing his side – play-off finalists last season – concede late for a third successive game.
It means they have dropped nine points from winning positions, the most in the Championship, this season.
Robins said: “It’s so frustrating but you have to dust yourselves down and get on with it.
“We could have won every game we’ve played in, but we’re sitting here talking about eight points in eight games. It will turn around, but it’s painful getting there.
“It [conceding late] can start to become a thing. It’s about taking control of those situations.
“I think if you let your heart rule your head at times because you know that’s been the case and you know we’re within touching distance of winning the game, the game can kick you in the teeth if you make mistakes.
“They had bodies and a weight of numbers in their favour, but we have to do better. The defending wasn’t good enough.
“You can’t get that momentum if you lose some of your players. It’s not an excuse. We’ve got a small squad with some key individuals out. It’s going to take some time.”
Second-half goals from Josh Sargent and Borja Sainz saw the hosts stay on the fringes of the top-six battle.
Callum O’Hare had given the Sky Blues the lead shortly after the break before they finished the game with 10 men after Liam Kitching was sent off.
Wagner said: “I thought it was a fantastic afternoon, both with the result and the performance which I also thought was top class, especially in the first half.
“We didn’t get the goal we deserved and then went behind early in the second half with a goal that was avoidable from our point of view.
“But the players reacted well and to come back from 1-0 down to win 2-1 against a top side like Coventry is a fantastic achievement.
“It was good the players from the bench made an impact and that’s how it should be. We have a competitive group so when we lose our top scorer (Jon Rowe who missed the game with a hand injury) we can cope.
“It’s another good step in the right direction and we now look forward to the next challenge at QPR next Saturday.”
Norwich’s scorers both picked up injuries in the early part of the season but now appear to be back to something nearing their best.
Wagner added: “Borja has shown he can score great goals but he also put in a shift, which was very pleasing.
“Josh has shown what a big miss he was for us for four months – he can’t be at his best yet but he is working hard and I am looking forward to seeing what he can do over the next 16 games.”
After a low-key opening period the game burst into life three minutes into the second period when the visitors took the lead.
Norwich carelessly lost possession on the edge of their box and Victor Torp was able to play in O’Hare, who tricked his way past two defenders before curling the ball past Angus Gunn.
The Canaries responded well and were back on level terms on the hour mark as Sargent rifled home the loose ball after substitute Ashley Barnes’ effort had been blocked.
The Sky Blues were forced to play the final 19 minutes with 10 men following the dismissal of Kitching for bringing down Sargent as the USA international prepared to race into the box – and the home side made the extra man tell.
With six minutes of normal time remaining, Sainz exchanged passes with Barnes on the edge of the area before finding the far corner with a delightful finish to settle a keenly-contested encounter.
Coventry manager Mark Robins felt his side were unlucky to come out of the game empty-handed.
He said: “I can’t help feeling hard done by after that – we played some decent football out there and to come away with nothing was bitterly disappointing.
“There’s no doubt the red card changed the game – at that point I felt we had a good chance to go and win it.
“We were still in it with 10 men but Norwich have a lot of quality and they punished us in the end.
“In the end I think it comes down to taking chances – we scored a good goal and then Haji Wright has had an excellent chance to make it 2-0 and I think it would have been game over then, red card or not.
“The keeper has made a save but he shouldn’t have had that chance. Kasey (Palmer) has also had a great chance at 1-1 but the keeper has saved again.
“It is a disappointing result and we also lose Liam Kitching for a couple of games now as it was his second sending off while Ben Sheaf is out for six-to-eight weeks.
“But we just have to take this on the chin – the games are coming thick and fast now and there are plenty of other good players in the building.”
The Sky Blues netted three times in the space of 12 second-half minutes, with Simms finding the target twice and Josh Eccles getting their other goal in a comprehensive win for Mark Robins’ side.
Kenneth Paal scored a consolation in stoppage time for the hosts.
The defeat continued a miserable run at Loftus Road for Rangers, who have won just once at home in almost a year and have lost four of their five matches there so far this season.
They were denied a first-half opener by City goalkeeper Ben Wilson superbly pushing away Lyndon Dykes’ glancing header from Paal’s cross.
Dykes sent another effort wide before the interval, but the visitors took complete control in the second half.
Striker Simms, signed from Everton during the summer, opened his account to break the deadlock after 56 minutes.
After Osman Kakay’s unnecessary foul on Jamie Allen, Jay Dasilva’s delivery into the box ricocheted off City’s Luis Binks towards Simms, who made the most of his good fortune.
Coventry also had luck on their side for the second goal, scored four minutes later – this time after a double deflection.
Matt Godden’s shot struck team-mate Joel Latibeaudiere to inadvertently tee up Eccles, whose shot took a deflection off Kakay to completely wrong-foot keeper Asmir Begovic.
City seemed to ride their luck once again when Rangers were not awarded a penalty, despite Wilson appearing to upend Sinclair Armstrong in the area just after the young striker had been brought on as a substitute.
And there was no way back for QPR after an emphatic finish from Simms made it three after 68 minutes.
Allen played an excellent ball in behind the R’s defence and Simms fired into the roof of the net.
Paal reduced the deficit after Armstrong pulled the ball back for the Dutch wing-back, whose goal was his third of the season, making him QPR’s top scorer.
Boss Robins will hope this fine win proves to be a turning point for last season’s beaten play-off finalists, who have endured a disappointing start to the Championship season.
However, the pressure is on his Rangers counterpart Gareth Ainsworth. Rangers were almost relegated under him last season and were widely tipped to struggle this term, with their home form a major concern.
The Danish striker put Preston ahead inside the first minute before setting up top scorer Will Keane and then forcing Bobby Thomas to put through his own net.
The remarkable victory took Preston on to the cusp of the play-off places, two points behind Hull, as North End leapfrogged Coventry in the process.
Preston captain Alan Browne played his corner to Ben Whiteman inside the first 60 seconds, and the cross was met by Riis.
The target man outmuscled Thomas and thundered home a header to claim his fourth in four outings after failing to find the net this season until 13 days ago.
When the 25-year-old then saw a shot blocked by Thomas he took full advantage of the dawdling Jay Dasilva and stole in to tee up Keane, who reacted fastest to sweep home his 12th of the season in the 20th minute.
The Sky Blues had failed to beat Preston in their last 20 league meetings dating back to 2007, and things went from bad to worse when star winger Tatsuhiro Sakamoto was taken off on a stretcher after a heavy fall following a challenge by Andrew Hughes on the half-hour mark.
The Japan international had been one of two Coventry changes as he and Milan van Ewijk replaced Fabio Tavares and Victor Torp in the starting XI, while Ali McCann came in for Robbie Brady in a rare Preston change.
Coventry had only lost once at home since a 4-0 thrashing by Stoke last April and things looked to be heading that way once again when Thomas poked Riis’ cross past a helpless Ben Wilson.
Freddie Woodman produced a magnificent save to deny Callum O’Hare as Coventry looked to get back into the game shortly before the break, with Preston defenders coming rushing out to block Haji Wright’s follow-up.
In-form Ellis Simms was looking to make it three goals in three games but he was also denied by Woodman after a tame effort inside the box.
Mark Robins called on Jake Bidwell to replace Dasilva at the break and Van Ewijk was next to try and reduce the arrears, but Woodman stood firm to beat away his left-footed effort.
The Dutchman tested Woodman again when he almost squeezed a cross in at the near post, while substitute Torp stung the palms of the former Newcastle goalkeeper in injury time.
The former Manchester City coach was satisfied with the result, which saw Dewsbury-Hall score twice in 10 minutes late on to seal victory after Coventry captain Kyle McFadzean had put Mark Robins’ side ahead early in the second half.
Maresca revealed he had urged Dewsbury-Hall to get into the opponents’ area more.
The 24-year-old midfielder only scored twice as the Foxes were relegated from the Premier League last season.
The result was a headed equaliser and a spectacular winner with three minutes to go.
Maresca said: “At the beginning when I came in, I checked the numbers of the players and I told him he has better quality to be able to score more and make more assists.
“The only way to do it is to arrive more often in the box. Kiernan scored here because he was there in the area.
“We are happy because he scored and we won and that’s the most important thing.”
Maresca also pointed to the fact that his team maintained momentum until the latter stages, despite Coventry’s constant threat.
The Italian coach said: “I told the players that Coventry was a team that almost won promotion in May. We needed to be mentally strong.
“So to be 1-0 down and then win the game, the guys showed a lot of great effort.
“We conceded a lot of goals from set pieces last season, I knew this before I came. We conceded again here and it was not easy to come back for us.”
Asked if he was concerned about the number of chances Coventry created, Maresca responded: ‘I’m always concerned. The feeling of winning was unbelievable, but we have to improve.”
Coventry manager Mark Robins predicted that Dewsbury-Hall will will be one of the top players in the Championship this season.
But he admitted there was a feeling of what might have been had his side taken more than one chance after creating so many openings.
Robins said: “If we’d taken one more, we might have won by two or three. We’re trying to be on the front foot and carrying a threat is something that’s really important to us.
“We had chances to score, but such is life, we’ve not taken them.
“I think Dewsbury-Hall is going to be one of the best players at this level. Someone also told me Leicester had £100million worth of talent on the bench – which is nice.
“It’s always disappointing to lose especially from a winning position but when you look at the quality of Leicester, there’s a lot of Manchester City in the movements.”
Belgium international Roussel, who was 45, joined the Sky Blues from Gent in 1999, initially on a loan deal, and played alongside Robbie Keane in the Premier League.
After some injury problems, Roussel joined Wolves in 2001, where he spent 18 months before returning to Belgium on loan to hometown club Mons.
Roussel, capped three times by the national team, also had spells at Genk, Rubin Kazan in Russia as well as Standard Liege before another move back to Mons later in his career.
“Our legend and ambassador Cedric Roussel passed away this Saturday,” Mons said in a statement on the club’s Twitter feed.
“The RAEC Mons family is devastated by this news and offers its most sincere condolences to Cedric’s family and loved ones. You marked our history.”
A statement from Coventry on Twitter read: “Coventry City are deeply saddened to learn of the death of our former striker Cedric Roussel, at the age of just 45.
“Cedric played 43 games for the Sky Blues from 1999-2001, scoring 11 goals. Our condolences are with his family and friends at this very sad time.”
Wolves said in a statement on the club’s Twitter feed: “Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Cedric Roussel. Our former player has passed away aged just 45.”
Mons are planning a tribute to Roussel, who is reported to have suffered a cardiac arrest, during the match against Charleroi on Sunday.
The Belgium Football Association also passed on condolences to Roussel’s family and friends.
The Sky Blues had lost just once at home since mid-January, but were handed a third consecutive defeat to remain 20th in the Sky Bet Championship table.
The Baggies’ second away win of the season lifted them back into the play-off positions as they notched their sixth clean sheet in seven outings.
Carlos Corberan’s men began the night without a recognised striker as Thomas-Asante was left out of the line-up, but when Ben Wilson spilled Nathaniel Chalobah’s effort straight at the feet of Diangana, the winger had the presence of mind to steady himself and roll into an empty net in the 17th minute.
The visitors had started on the front foot as they camped in Coventry’s half and won a succession of corners, but were stopped in their tracks when the offside flag went up as Kyle Bartley’s header hit a post.
It was a miserable night for Coventry’s record signing Haji Wright, who squandered two huge opportunities to level with the score at 1-0.
First, the American diverted Liam Kitching’s pinpoint cross wide of Alex Palmer’s goal from close range after he had seen an earlier effort blocked by Cedric Kipre.
Palmer was also on hand to block Wright’s shot from a tight angle when he was played in by Jay Dasilva, while Jamie Allen failed to connect with his effort.
It was a frustrating first half for Mark Robins’ men, who racked up 11 efforts on goal, with Tatsuhiro Sakamoto’s shot beaten away by Palmer while Ben Sheaf fired over twice from range.
Shortly after half-time, Josh Eccles’ defence-splitting pass sent Wright through one-on-one with Palmer but he pulled his effort wide with the goal gaping.
He and the Sky Blues were made to pay in the 69th minute when Matt Phillips set Thomas-Asante away down the left and the striker drove into the box before opening his body and finding the top corner with deadly precision.
The substitute could have further extended the lead when he stole possession from Kyle McFadzean and weaved his way between a host of defenders before blasting over.
Coventry had only scored two goals in their previous four matches and Matt Godden and Ellis Simms were thrown on to try to get the Sky Blues back in the game, while Callum O’Hare had a penalty shout waved away on his first home appearance since December after a knee injury.
Twelve months ago the Baggies sat bottom of the league on 14 points from 17 games, but held onto their 2-0 victory to make it one defeat in their last nine as they rose to fifth in the table.
