Jack Rudoni came off the bench to score twice as Coventry City beat Derby County 3-2, giving Frank Lampard’s team another major step towards Premier League promotion and extending the lead over second-place Millwall to 11 points with six Championship matches still to play.

The result means Coventry City now need only eight more points to be certain of playing in the Premier League next season, after Millwall earlier defeated Middlesbrough, keeping pressure on Lampard’s side in the race for automatic promotion.

Derby County actually edged the expected goals numbers, 2.27 to 1.57, helped by Ben Brereton’s successful penalty, yet Coventry City created more overall threat with 13 attempts to Derby’s eight and seven efforts on target compared with three, showing Lampard’s players produced the more consistent attacking display.

Rudoni made the decisive difference on return from injury, scoring with both shots taken and extending an impressive personal run in the Championship; the midfielder has now been directly involved in goals during each of the last five league matches, collecting five goals and one assist during that period.

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Coventry City struck first after 12 minutes when Frank Onyeka finished a flowing attack. The Brentford loanee linked neatly with Romain Esse on the right, then lifted a high effort beyond Richard O’Donnell, with the ball dropping into the far corner to give the home side early control.

Derby County levelled shortly before half-time. Matt Clarke delivered a cross that Coventry goalkeeper Carl Rushworth misjudged in the air, leaving Brereton free to head into an open goal. The forward punished the mistake, ensuring Derby went into the interval back on terms despite limited clear chances.

Rudoni entered the match during the second half and needed only five minutes to score. The midfielder showed close control, sending two defenders into each other and wrong-footing another before guiding a calm finish into the bottom-left corner, restoring Coventry City’s advantage in composed fashion.

Derby County responded again when Rushworth brought down Brereton inside the area, with the forward converting the resulting penalty to collect a second goal. However, Coventry City refused to settle, and in the 80th minute Milan van Ewijk’s low cross found Rudoni, whose first-time strike beat O’Donnell into the bottom-right corner.

The victory keeps Coventry City firmly in control of the promotion race, with a strong cushion over Millwall, a clear target of eight more points, and an in-form Rudoni adding goals after injury, while Derby County are left to reflect on missed opportunities despite competitive underlying numbers.