Oxford United’s nine-game unbeaten run came to an end with a narrow defeat against high-flying Wigan Athletic.
The U’s found themselves two goals down inside half an hour but levelled the match through Ryan Williams and Matty Taylor. However, a late strike from James McClean resulted in just a second home loss for Oxford.
Here are three talking points from the game.
Starting Line-Up and Absentees
This was always going to be a tough match, but when the starting line-up was announced it looked like a difficult afternoon ahead.
On Thursday, Karl Robinson confirmed one positive Covid case at the club while he added there was a total of four before kick-off against the Latics. With Jordan Thorniley suspended following his red card against MK Dons, Luke McNally was the likely replacement although the defender missed out. Midfield duo Cameron Brannagan and Herbie Kane also failed to make the squad while Nathan Holland, Jamie Hanson, Sam Winnall and Joel Cooper were all through injury.
To make matters worse, James Henry, who was due to start in the holding role, pulled up during the warm-up and was replaced by Billy Bodin.
Good Performance in Difficult Circumstances
Despite the setbacks of the missing players and falling behind in the game, Oxford put in a resilient display against a side with the best away record in the division. They created as many chances as their opponents (scoring with their only two shots on target) while enjoying large spells of possession and ending the game with more than Wigan.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough in the end as the Latics snatched a late winner, but Taylor struck the bar in the first half and the U’s looked a threat throughout.
Depth in the Squad
Even though Oxford lost several key men before kick-off, the fact Robinson was able to bring in some strong players played a key factor in the performance.
While there was a couple of youth players on the bench, Williams, Billy Bodin and Anthony Forde all went above and beyond and highlighted how important experience at this level is when you are under the cosh.
