‘I loved his performance’ – Frank Lampard praises USMNT forward Haji Wright’s performance after first hat-trick for Coventry City in 3-0 win over Sunderland

U.S. international and Coventry City forward Haji Wright delivered a career-defining performance for the Sky Blues, scoring a remarkable hat-trick in a dominant 3-0 victory over Sunderland at the Coventry Building Society Arena. The 26-year-old USMNT forward scored in the 21st minute, converted a penalty in the 29th minute, and completed his treble with a chipped finish in the 73rd minute. The win comes on the back of a loss to Derby, which ended a five-game winning run for Frank Lampard’s side.

Lampard was full of praise for Wright's performance, gushing about the forward in his post-match interview and his performance.

"Haji has a laid back way, which is his nature, but he wasn't laid back on the pitch today," Lampard said. "And I have to say the way he moved and the way he won the penalty was high-level stuff from him. As long as he gets his off-the-ball work and transition work right, which he did today, I'm happy. He can play like that, he can run into space, he can hold it up and he can move with it, so yes, I loved his performance.”

Wright's performance came at a crucial moment for Coventry City, propelling the team to fifth place in the Championship table. The hat-trick was particularly impressive given Wright's recent return from a three-month ankle injury. Wright now has 10 goals in 19 Championship games this season despite missing a significant chunk of the season through injury and is the club’s top scorer.

“Yeah, 100 percent," Wright said when asked if it was one of the best team performances he has been a part of at Coventry. "I think it was just amazing and the crowd makes it easier for us. When you’re a bit tired and a bit down, they lift the place again, they raise motivation, and all of a sudden you have the energy to go again.”

Coventry City will head into the international break before facing Sheffield United on March 28, with Wright's form providing a significant boost to the team's promotion hopes. They’ll then have back-to-back home games against second-place Burnley and Portsmouth on April 5 and April 10 respectively.