Sunderland forward Nilson Angulo escaped a red card on Saturday afternoon despite pulling the hair of Coventry player Tatsuhiro Sakamoto. The Ecuadorian avoided punishment even after a video review, though his team fell to a 3-1 defeat.
With regulations strictly prohibiting hair pulling, some observers expected Angulo to be dismissed. However, he avoided the fate suffered by teammate Dan Ballard, who received a red card last season for pulling the hair of Wolves player Tolu Arokodare.
Coventry capitalized on defensive errors from Sunderland to secure a victory that lifted them out of the relegation zone. Goals from Sakamoto, Taiwo Awoniyi, and Jack Rudoni sealed the win for the hosts, rendering Enzo Le Fee's penalty a mere consolation.
The outcome heaps pressure on manager Regis Le Bris following his team's poor start to the campaign. At this stage last year, Le Bris held 17 points and occupied a Champions League position, but this term they have secured just a single victory and sit at the bottom of the table with five points.
