The Sky Blues were held to a 1-1 draw with Sunderland at the Stadium of Light after Dom Hyam’s first half opener was cancelled out by a late Black Cats leveller.
Hyam nodded home from close range after a well-worked City move on 26 minutes only for Benji Kimpioka to equalise in the final minute of the game.
The draw keeps City in the play-off places and extends their unbeaten run in the league to six matches.
Sunderland had the first chance of the match when Aiden McGeady blazed a free kick from 25-yards out over the crossbar in the opening minutes.
The Sky Blues responded with a chance of their own on eight minutes, when Fankaty Dabo’s drive up-field teed up Liam Walsh whose long-range effort was tipped over the crossbar by Lee Burge.
City continued to search for the opening goal and almost found the breakthrough when Jordan Shipley allowed Dabo’s pass to run through to Amadou Bakayoko, but the striker’s turn and shot was saved by Burge.
Bakayoko had another chance to break the deadlock on 25 minutes when he raced onto a poor back pass but was once again denied by Burge from a tight angle.
From the resulting set-piece however, Westbrooke produced a tantalising delivery from the left-hand side which was headed back across goal by Michael Rose into the path of Hyam who nodded the ball beyond Burge from close range to hand City the lead.
The Sky Blues had a chance to double their lead on 33 minutes when Bakayoko was slipped through by Westbrooke but saw his effort well-blocked by Jordan Willis.
McGeady was given another chance from a free kick shortly after but could only place an effort straight down the throat of Marko Marosi.
Seconds before half-time Bakayoko came within inches of doubling City’s lead when he headed narrowly wide of the post after reacting quickest to Westbrooke’s deflected effort.
HALF-TIME: SUNDERLAND 0-1 SKY BLUES
The first notable chance of the second half fell to the Sky Blues when Walsh tested Burge with a long-range free kick.
Just past the hour mark, Shipley shifted the ball onto his left foot before drilling a powerful effort towards goal that was well-held by Burge.
The hosts burst into life soon after when McGeady fired a low shot towards Marosi’s near post with the keeper doing well to push away the Irishman’s effort.
Mark Robins then introduced both Callum O’Hare and Jordy Hiwula for the final 15 minutes with the former replacing Shipley on his 100th Sky Blues appearance.
However, despite a superb away performance, City were denied the three points in the 90th minute when substitute Kimpioka finished from close range after a goalmouth scramble.
Jamie Allen came on for his Sky Blues debut in the final moments as City were unable to find a deserved winning goal late on.
FULL-TIME: SUNDERLAND 1-1 SKY BLUES
Goals: Hyam 26’, Kimpioka 90’
Yellows: Dabo 78’, McGeady 90’+4
Attendance: 29,809 (1,424 away)
Sunderland XI: Lee Burge (GK), Luke O’Nien, Denver Hume, Jordan Willis (Flanagan 68’), Joel Lynch, Max Power (Watmore 66’), Grant Leadbitter (C), George Dobson, Chris Maguire, Aiden McGeady, Will Grigg (Kimpioka 82’)
Unused Subs: Jon McLaughlin (GK), Alim Ozturk, Laurens De Bock, Dylan McGeouch
Sky Blues XI: Marko Marosi (GK), Fankaty Dabo, Dom Hyam, Kyle McFadzean, Michael Rose, Brandon Mason, Zain Westbrooke (Allen 90'+2), Liam Kelly (C), Liam Walsh, Jordan Shipley (O’Hare 74’), Amadou Bakayoko (Hiwula 74’)
Unused Subs: Ben Wilson (GK), Tennai Watson, Sam McCallum, Gervane Kastaneer