The Sky Blues pulled off a major shock by dumping Premiership champions Manchester United out of the Carling Cup at Old Trafford.
Michael Mifsud was the City hero, grabbing a goal either side of half-time to send more than 11,000 travelling supporters into raptures.
The diminutive Maltese international opened the scoring when he converted Michael Doyle's cross just before the half-hour mark before blasting home a second in the 70th minute.
Iain Dowie's men battled gallantly throughout and were also indebted to goalkeeper Andy Marshall, who pulled off a remarkable save to deny Dong Fangzhuo in the second-half, just moments before Mifsud struck.
Dowie made five changes to the side beaten 4-1 at Ipswich in the Championship on Saturday, handing surprise starts to youngsters Ben Turner and Robbie Simpson and restoring Andy Marshall, Elliott Ward and Mifsud to the starting line-up.
Sir Alex Ferguson, as expected, handed a number of fringe and youth players a chance to shine under the spotlight against the Sky Blues, but still found places in his side for Nani and Anderson, signed for a combined fee of £30 million in the summer.
Stephen Hughes, fresh from nothing his first goal of the season from a free-kick against Ipswich, tried his luck again from a set-piece early on but fired straight into the wall.
Leon Best then fired high and wide after turning his marker on the edge of the area before United went close when winger Lee Martin's snap-shot deflected off Turner before sailing narrowly wide of the target.
Some last ditch defending from Turner then denied Dong, but it was the Sky Blues who were beginning to look the more adventurous attacking force.
And their reward arrived in the 28th minute when Best found skipper Doyle on the left and the Irishman crossed for Mifsud to slide past a helpless Tomasz Kuszczak at the back-post.
The City fans were on their feet again moments later as Mifsud's audacious back-heel from Simpson's right-wing cross bounced back off the post with Kuszczak beaten.
Simpson almost doubled City's advantage four minutes before the break, but his powerful shot from just inside the penalty area dipped just over the crossbar.
The home side threw on Wes Brown at the break and Michael Carrick soon after in hope of a swift turnaround and Marshall was on hand to save Nani's 25-yarder while another substitute, youngster Fraizer Campbell, flashed an effort over on the hour.
But City continued to catch United on the counter attack and Mifsud saw a glancing header saved by Kuszczak.
Then, in the 70th minute, arrived the turning point of the game.
A teasing cross from Nani found Dong in the area and the Chinese international directed a powerful header at goal which seemed destined for the top corner. However, Marshall flew across to his left to magnificently claw the ball around the post.
And with United still deflated from that, City raced forward with Mifsud, who cut inside Danny Simpson and exchanged passes with Jay Tabb before rifling an unstoppable drive into the roof of the net from 12-yards.
Mifsud should have even grabbed a hat-trick with nine minutes remaining when he side-footed the ball agonizingly wide after Hughes' powerful free-kick was only parried by Kuszczak.
Coventry: Marshall, Osbourne (McNamee, 87), Turner, Ward, Hall, Doyle, Hughes, Tabb, Mifsud, Simpson (Adebola, 90), Best. Subs (Not Used): Konstantopoulos (GK), de Zeeuw, Thornton.
Goals: Mifsud (28, 70)
Booked: None
Man Utd: Kuszczak, Bardsley (Brown, 46), Evans (Carrick, 56), Pique, Simpson, O'Shea, Eagles, Nani, Martin (Campbell, 46) Dong, Anderson. Subs (Not Used): Heaton (GK), Eckersley.
Goals: None
Booked: Pique
Attendance: 74,055
