Oxford United ended Tuesday night with their heaviest league defeat of the season at home against high-flying Stoke.
The Potters won 3-0 at Grenoble Road in what was Gary Rowett’s heaviest league defeat in charge of the U’s.
Here are three talking points from the game.
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Oxford United Lose Against Stoke
Squandered Chances
Oxford had more shots on goal than Stoke but managed just two on target from their 14 attempts.
Greg Leigh squandered a wonderful early opportunity from close range, while Stan Mills saw two efforts sail off target from relatively good positions.
There was also a chance for Przemyslaw Placheta, who rescued a point last time out against Millwall, but he slid the ball wide from a good position.
Ultimately, the U’s just weren’t clinical enough in the final third, unlike their opponents.
Susceptible to Counter Attacks
Two of Stoke’s goals came from counterattacks, and Oxford struggled to regroup and recover throughout the match.
On both occasions, the defence was disorganised, out of position and unable to prevent the incoming goal.
First, Jamie Cumming made a stop, but it fell to another Potters player, with the backline out of shape. And the second was similar, the initial shot was blocked before falling back to the same player. While it may have been unfortunate, it was also bad positioning.
Good Effort But Lacked Quality
Sometimes, you simply come up against a team that is far superior to your own and that was the case against Stoke.
Mark Robins’ side looked clinical, quick and powerful but the U’s struggled to get going and were often on the back foot.
And that was the summary in that Gary Rowett’s side just lacked quality compared to their opponents.
Featured image courtesy of IMAGO / Pro Sports Images
