Oxford United picked up a surprise win with a 1-0 victory at home against table-topping Sheffield United.
The U’s took the lead seven minutes before the break and hung on despite a dominant second half from the Blades.
Here are three talking points from the game.
Oxford United Win Against Sheffield United
Long Throws
Oxford have struggled to score from open play for an alarming amount of games of late but one thing they have in their amour is the threat of a Will Vaulks long throw.
In recent games at Norwich and Middlesbrough, the U’s have scored from one of these and it was the case against the Blades.
Vaulks launched several into the box but on 38 minutes, the ball fell to Siriki Dembele who kept his composure before slotting the ball home.
Oxford did create chances over the course of the 90 minutes but the long throw was the most likely way that Oxford would find the back of the net.
Superb Defending
Oxford matched Chris Wilder’s side in the first half and were good value for their lead at the interval.
However, and as expected, the Blades piled on the pressure after the restart but Oxford stood firm, threw their bodies on the line and won first and second balls in their half throughout.
The energy across the defensive line and willingness from the team as a whole to track back was superb.
Clean Sheet and Jamie Cumming Masterclass
So with that in mind, it’s important to highlight another clean sheet, which has been a rarity in recent weeks.
The last one came in their most recent win against Watford before the international break, with this being just a second in eight.
And it would be remiss to mention the back four and not give a few words to Jamie Cumming, who was awarded the sponsor’s Man of the Match.
The goalkeeper made two top-class saves in the first half with the scoreline level and marshalled his back four throughout.
