Oxford United suffered a third defeat from four league games with a 2-1 loss at home against Lincoln.
The Imps took a two-goal lead into the break but Cameron Brannagan reduced the deficit with a spot kick on 69 minutes.
Here are three talking points from the game.
Lincoln Goals Came at the Wrong Time
Oxford started the game brightly and looked the more likely side to score, but Tom Hopper’s goal on 21 minutes came against the run of play.
After falling behind, the U’s quickly lost momentum and discipline, with Steve Seddon and Matty Taylor both picking up unnecessary bookings.
However, Oxford began to turn the screw once again before the break. Brannagan saw an effort sail just wide as the hosts reasserted their stance on the game. But, once again, the U’s conceded against the run of play when Anthony Scully curled the ball beyond Simon Eastwood to double the advantage.
Not Taking Chances (again)
Heading into this game, Oxford had scored just once from their three league games, and that was a 93rd-minute moment of magic from an academy graduate. But they have been creating opportunities.
It was a similar story against the Imps. Billy Bodin squandered two first-half chances before misplacing one from six yards out after the restart.
Stoppage time openings fell to Elliott Moore and Kyle Joseph but by then, you just knew it wasn’t going to happen.
The U’s ended their fourth league game with just one goal in open play from 44 attempts at goal. It’s clear where Karl Robinson needs to bolster in the remaining time of the transfer window.
Marcus McGuane
We haven’t mentioned him yet, purely for the fact there have been other things to talk about, but Marcus McGuane has undoubtedly been the best player on the pitch for Oxford so far this season and he continued that trend with a solid display against Lincoln.
It seems as though he has finally found his calling in the holding midfield role, allowing the likes of Brannagan to push forward. His passing, movement and defensive stability have come on leaps and bounds and it could have been a whole lot worse if he hadn’t found his form. Once again, he was awarded Man of the Match.
