Oxford United continued their unbeaten home run with a 1-1 draw against West Brom at Grenoble Road.
The U’s fell behind midway through the first half but Dane Scarlett’s stoppage-time equaliser came in the nick of time.
Here are three talking points from the game.
Oxford United Draw Against West Brom
Tale of Two Halves
Despite Mark Harris forcing a save after six minutes, albeit from a tight angle, West Brom were by far the better side in the first half.
The squad experience showed and the Baggies outplayed Oxford in almost all areas of the pitch.
The goal was coming after sustained pressure, and it was a sweet strike from 25 yards which Jamie Cumming was unable to stop.
However, after the restart, Oxford reset and regrouped and turned the game around. It was the U’s that had more possession and began to get their midfield into the game, allowing more progressive passing.
Chances were still few and far between, but substitute Scarlett was on hand to nod home a stoppage-time winner, which was coming as West Brom began to drop deep as opposed to pushing for a second.
Neither side created an abundance of chances, with Ciaron Brown squandering a header from a corner in the first half, but a draw was the fair result.
Midfield and Final Third Struggles for Oxford United
As mentioned, Oxford were unable to get hold of the ball in the first half with West Brom outplaying the U’s throughout. Idris El Mizouni and Ruben Rodrigues failed to get possession and were chasing shadows, while the wide men were unable to get behind the Baggies backline.
However, after the restart, the duo began to get hold of the ball and the wingers found space in behind. Louie Sibley replaced Rodrigues and drove Oxford further up the pitch, which forced the visitors deeper. However, as mentioned in the previous point, they still struggled in the final third.
Positive Substitutes
As mentioned, Sibley’s introduction was critical as the former Derby man pushed the Baggies back. Scarlett also replaced Harris at the same time, with the Welshman cutting a frustrated figure up top.
Both had plenty of impact on the game, while Malcolm Ebiowei, who came on for Siriki Dembele with 15 minutes remaining, had less so but was direct.
Owen Dale was the final change, coming on for El Mizouni which pushed Goodrham into the central role. While he didn’t have much time to impact the game, he stretched his full back and created space for Goodrham in the middle of the park, but it remained difficult to get in behind given West Brom’s low block.
