Oxford United bowed out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night with a heavy defeat on the road at Bristol City.
The Robins scored goals at crucial stages but that was irrelevant as it was a poor performance from the U’s throughout the match.
Here are three talking points from the game:
Line-Up and Formation
Following their opening-day defeat against Cambridge, head coach Liam Manning insisted he wouldn’t make too many changes for the cup clash. However, he made five.
In came Fin Stevens, Marcus McGuane, Billy Bodin, Stanley Mills and Gatlin O’Donkor.
There were maybe some surprise inclusions with James Beadle staying in goal – when most clubs would switch goalkeeper for a cup competition – and Ciaron Brown at left-back after he struggled against Cambridge.
Poor Defending for All Five Goals
It’s easy to analyse the game after the match but all five goals were avoidable, with bad defending in place on each occasion.
The first three goals were almost identical, with the ball coming down Oxford’s right before a low cross into the box which eluded everyone in a yellow shirt before an easy finish.
The fourth was a mix-up between Cameron Brannagan and Jordan Thorniley while the fifth was a floated ball over the backline into the box with the defence sleeping.
First Goal
While it was a frustrating night, the U’s did manage to net their first goal of the season. However, it didn’t come in a typical ‘Manning’ style.
Stevens picked the ball up deep and floated it towards the back post, allowing Bodin to glide a header past the goalkeeper.
At times, Oxford played their progressive style of football but it wasn’t as effective as against Cambridge on Saturday and were easily outplayed by their Championship opponents.
