COVENTRY City opened their new campaign undefeated for the tenth consecutive year as a double from Freddy Eastwood handed the Sky Blues all the points against Pompey at the Ricoh Arena.

It was a dream start to the new 2010/11 npower Championship campaign for Aidy Boothroyd's side as Eastwood bagged a goal in each half to seal a comfortable win.

The Sky Blues got the opening day clash off to the perfect start after Eastwood swung home his first to finish off an early City set piece.

David Bell earned the Sky Blues their first corner of the afternoon after nutmegging Ritchie, forcing Mokoena to put behind.

And City made it tell as Gary McSheffrey swung in the deep corner delivery on three minutes which Lee Carsley headed back allowing Eastwood to swing a shot at goal, spilling past Pompey 'keeper Jamie Ashdown.

Richard Keogh got in on the action after nine minutes when Michael Doyle's crossfield ball found Bell on the right, a tap into the path of Keogh then allowing the right back to run across the edge of the Pompey penalty area and fire just over the bar.

Keogh then stepped up again on 17 minutes when he whipped in a low cross across the six-yard box which narrowly evaded McSheffrey.

For all of Portsmouth's possession though they could not make it count in the first half with only Michael Brown's long range effort well wide midway through the half to show for it.

City almost doubled their lead straight after the kick off when Eastwood counter attacked down the right, cutting a ball back which reached McSheffrey whose goalbound effort was deflected behind.

Pompey 'keeper Ashdown was caught in no mans' land ten minutes after the restart when a deep swung cross from Bell was volleyed back across the goal over Ashdown, Ibrahima Sonko forced to tap it behind.

Lukas Jutkiewicz then went close from the resulting corner, glancing a head onto the delivery at goal which Ashdown had to flap away.

Tommy Smith threatened Coventry's six-yard area just before the hour with a quick cut back from the byline which forced Nathan Cameron to clear behind for a corner.

The Sky Blues were two up on 69 minutes though when a pinpoint cross from Bell on the right found Eastwood for his second goal of the game.

Bell broke down the right hand side and whipped in a looping cross from near the touchline for the Welsh international who nodded past Ashdown while unmarked in the far corner of the six-yard area.

Eastwood almost returned the favour for Bell two minutes later when he broke away in a three-on-two situation in City's favour and played through to Bell on the right who dragged his shot wide of the far post from just inside the corner of the area.

Portsmouth were denied a consolation goal in injury time when Matthew Ritchie's free kick struck the foot of Keiren Westwood's post, Cameron alert to get a foot to the loose ball and poke it away.

But Pompey's last effort was as close as they got to getting on the scoresheet as the Sky Blues capped off their first fixture of the new season with a maximum points haul and a clean sheet.

Attendance: 18,814 (2,266 away) 

Teams

Coventry City: Westwood, Keogh, Carsley (c), Bell (Baker 76), Doyle, Eastwood, Jutkiewicz (Platt 72), Cranie, McSheffrey, Turner, Cameron
Subs: Quirke (GK), Clingan, McPake, Wood, O'Donovan

Portsmouth: Ashdown, Mokoena, Ritchie, Wilson (c), Mullins, Nugent, Brown, Utaka (Gregory 82), Smith, Hughes (Ciftci 71), Sonko
Subs: O'Brien (GK), Pack