Oxford United’s promotion hopes are over following a 2-1 loss on the road at second-placed Rotherham.
The U’s took an early lead courtesy of an own goal but the Millers levelled in first-half stoppage time. The hosts scored the winner from the penalty spot.
Here are three talking points from the game.
Good Start
The nerves would have been all over the place for both sides heading into this game. Rotherham needed to pick up the points to keep their automatic promotion chances intact while the U’s needed a win but were also relying on other teams dropping points.
And it was Oxford that started the strongest and they took the lead when a Sam Long cross was turned into his own net by Dan Barlaser.
Despite their early goal, the U’s then failed to test the Millers’ goalkeeper and if they held on until the break, it could have been a different outcome.
Two Goals Gifted
A common theme this season is Oxford’s vulnerability in defence and both goals against the Millers came from Oxford errors.
Firstly, Herbie Kane lost the ball in his own half before the hosts won a corner. Oxford failed to deal with it and conceded a second corner, in which Rotherham eventually levelled the game.
The second goal was also preventable. The ball came down the left but Luke McNally lost his man before bringing him down in the box. Jack Stevens went the right way but was unable to keep out the spot-kick.
Lack of Fight
Against MK Dons, Oxford came out in the second half and really looked like they wanted something from the game. It paid off with a late winner. However, it was the opposite in Yorkshire.
After the restart, Oxford rarely threatened and struggled to get hold of the ball. Chasing loose balls was nonexistent and the determination to get hold of the game was also lacking.
It’s hard not to be downbeat after that loss. Oxford were in a commanding position just a few weeks ago but three straight defeats saw them drop out of the top six. It was always going to be a tough ending to the season but ultimately they’ve fallen short, despite surpassing last season’s points tally.
