Ephron Mason-Clark tricked referee Lewis Smith with a dive to earn a penalty for Championship leaders Coventry City in a 3-0 victory over Preston North End.

Former PGMOL chairman and FIFA referee Keith Hackett has exclusively informed Football Insider that the Sky Blues winger should have been booked for simulation rather than winning a penalty at the CBS Arena on Wednesday night.

Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, Brandon Thomas-Asante, and Matt Grimes scored in a 3-0 win over Preston, propelling Coventry closer to Premier League promotion.

They were two up at halftime after dominating the struggling Lilywhites, with Smith controversially pointing to the spot in the 49th minute following Pol Valentin’s challenge on Mason-Clark.

Replays revealed that the Preston defender may have been unfairly treated, but the damage had already been done as Grimes tucked away and Coventry strolled to a 3-0 home triumph.

Keith Hackett fumes at Ephron Mason-Clark for ‘obvious act of deception’ against Preston

Mason-Clark took up the ball on the left edge of Preston’s penalty area and breezed past right back Valentin before the Spaniard appeared to trip him on the byline in the box.

Smith instantly pointed to the area after the challenge, but replays revealed there was little touch as Valentin claimed his innocence.

Hackett told Football Insider that he supported the referee’s decision to award the penalty on initial viewing, but felt Mason-Clark deserved to be booked for diving.

“I completely understand the referee’s decision to call this a foul and give a penalty kick.

“When we review the replays and have a better viewing angle, we can see that there is no contact and the player has gone to the ground in a clear act of simulation.”

“Instead of the correct award of a yellow card for his action of cheating, he instead is rewarded with a penalty kick.”

Coventry are closing in on promotion following Opta’s supercomputer update.

Their victory over Preston put Coventry nine points ahead of third-placed Millwall, while second-placed Middlesbrough suffered a surprise 1-0 home loss to Charlton.

Football Insider revealed in January that Coventry were doing everything they could to keep Frank Lampard in charge, despite interest from Crystal Palace, and his continued presence as manager has clearly been critical to their title challenge over the last two months.

The Sky Blues have already won six consecutive games, and Opta’s supercomputer now predicts a 93.72 percent chance of finishing first in the Championship this season, with a 99 percent chance of promotion.