Oxford United returned to league action with a 1-0 defeat at promotion rivals Plymouth.
It was a difficult evening for the U’s on a wet and windy night in Devon.
Here are three talking points from the game.
Weathered the Early Storm
Pardon the pun, but Oxford had to battle the weather and the storm off the pitch as the Pilgrims began the game in an assertive style.
However, despite the early dominance from the hosts, Oxford held firm and managed to get themselves back into the game before the break.
Shots and Statistics
Despite Plymouth’s early dominance, they were unable to test Simon Eastwood in the Oxford goal. However, that changed after the break when Morgan Whittaker struck past the U’s goalkeeper.
The Pilgrims ended the game with five shots on target from 20 attempts while the U’s managed just one from eight.
The hosts also enjoyed the share of possession, with 56 per cent over the 90 minutes.
Despite this, Oxford have one great opportunity to level the game but Kyle Joseph missed his effort from close range.
Substitutions
On the 60-minute mark with the game still level, Plymouth made a double change with Whittaker and Niall Ennis coming on. This was the game changer as the pair were involved in the match’s only strike.
For Oxford, Marcus Browne replaced Lewis Bate, Djavan Anderson came on for Steve Seddon to make his Oxford debut and youngsters Slavi Spasov and Tyler Goodrham were introduced late on. However, none of those were able to make an impact on the game.
