The Swans went toe-to-toe with their high-flying opposition for the first half an hour of the contest and saw both Josh Tymon and Melker Widell hit the woodwork, whilst Goncalo Franco missed a header from point blank range.
Coventry would not be so forgiving and, in an 11-minute burst, scored three goals with as many chances with Brandon Thomas-Asante opening the scoring from the spot after Ben Cabango’s clumsy challenge.
Matt Grimes’ strike from the edge of the area doubled the Sky Blues’ advantage minutes later, and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto made it 3-0 to leave the hosts stunned and all but beaten before the break.
Though Swansea never looked like mounting a comeback after the break, they came close again late on as Widell had a header saved and Zan Vipotnik sliced wastefully wide.
“We need to be more clinical against this kind of team,” said Matos in his post-match press conference.
“That’s why Coventry is top of the league, and that’s why we are in the position we are.
“That’s why we need to keep pushing ourselves. They are clinical, they have the mental focus in these kind of situations.
“That’s something you can improve, that’s something you can get, that’s something we need to do.
“We had chances in the first half, and again in the second half, and that is something we need to be better at.
“For 30 minutes, I think we were a good team who properly pushed Coventry in moments they didn’t like.
“Cross bar, post, good chance for Franco as well, then a penalty changed the momentum.
“We needed to chase them back, and doing that against a good team like Coventry is not easy.
“When we are in these games you have to be clinical, and it is clear we need to improve in this department.
“Small things matter a lot at this level, and this game just underlined that fact.”
Swansea now have a 13-day break before returning to action with a trip to Bramall Lane to face Sheffield United on Good Friday, before a quick turnaround sees them hosting second-placed Middlesbrough on Easter Monday.
[Lead image: Swansea City FC]
