Gustavo Hamer fired Coventry to within one game of the Premier League as they scrapped their way past Middlesbrough into the Sky Bet Championship play-off final.
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.
Xavi has 'zero doubts' over Araujo's Barcelona future
Ronald Araujo’s Barcelona future is still undecided, but Xavi says he has "zero doubts" over the defender’s decision.
The Uruguayan has been offered a contract extension to keep him at the club beyond 2026, but Araujo is yet to sign it.
This season, he has made 36 appearances in all competitions for Barcelona, though he dropped to the bench for their win over Real Sociedad on Monday.
Asked about Araujo’s future on Wednesday, Xavi said: "I talk a lot with Araujo, and he knows what I think. There are zero doubts about his future on my side.
"He knows what I want for his future. I always try to speak honestly and sincerely and he’s happy here."
Reports suggest that Bayern Munich and Manchester United are interested in signing Araujo if he does decide to leave Barcelona.
Alonso wary of Atalanta threat ahead of Europa League showdown
Bayer Leverkusen will find it tough to overcome Atalanta in the Europa League final, manager Xabi Alonso said.
The Italian side knocked out Premier League heavyweights Liverpool and three-times finalists Marseille in previous rounds.
But Leverkusen have plans of their own as they chase a treble of titles, having recently been crowned as the new Bundesliga champions.
Currently on an extraordinary 50-match run this season, Leverkusen play Gian Piero Gasperini's side, who are fifth in Serie A, in Dublin on May 22.
"Atalanta is one of the best teams in Europe. The coach has a clear plan, they have a great mentality and a big squad," Alonso told reporters on Wednesday.
"If we do our best, we have a chance, but it will be tight. They are a top team."
With the league title in the bag, Leverkusen are fully focused on winning both their finals, which includes the German Cup clash against Kaiserslautern on May 25.
But before that, they have a home game against Augsburg in the league on Saturday.
"The feeling is very good, we're looking forward to playing two finals. It's a great opportunity for us. We have time to prepare. There's still the Bundesliga game, but of course we're already focussing on the two finals," the Spaniard said.
"With the Bundesliga decided, we can focus more on the Europa League than if there was still something at stake. But the Bundesliga is not over yet, and we respect Augsburg."
Midfielder Florian Wirtz, who has scored 18 goals for Leverkusen in all competitions this campaign, is better after missing the last two games through injury.
"We'll take it slowly and look day by day. There's no risk of a more serious injury, it's all about the pain. We'll see how it looks again tomorrow," Alonso added.
Vilahamn wants to use FA Cup final defeat as 'beginning' for Tottenham Women
Tottenham Women manager Robert Vilahamn believes his side will use their FA Cup final defeat to start something special, rather than ending their good work.
Spurs were hammered 4-0 by Manchester United Women in Sunday's Wembley Stadium showpiece as Ella Toone and Rachel Williams were on target before Lucia Garcia's second-half double.
Vilahamn's side failed to manage a shot on target but the Spurs boss suggested his team will catch up to the women's elite clubs.
"The main thing I said was this is not the end, it is the beginning," Vilahamn said.
"We still have a gap between us and the top teams but that's normal. We are closing the gap but we haven't closed the gap yet."
Tottenham finished sixth in the Women's Super League as well as reaching this final, their first FA Cup showpiece appearance in their short history.
Vilahamn wants his Spurs players to use this defeat as motivation going forward.
"If you take away the feelings right now, you need to look at these players doing some incredible things this year," he said.
"We are at Wembley playing in front of our fans and they are actually enjoying it and staying, and supporting us after.
"We got a good experience today and we are learning how to play at Wembley more times. We need to look at it that way because the players are amazing."
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