Oxford United progressed to the second round of the Carabao Cup with a win on penalties against Burton Albion. Summer signing Nathan Holland gave the U’s the lead with just five minutes remaining but Burton equalised deep into stoppage time through an own goal from captain, John Mousinho.
However, the U’s have a good record in penalty shootouts and scored all four as the Brewers missed twice.
Oxford will face Queens Park Rangers in the second round, but before that, here are three talking points from the game at the Pirelli Stadium.
Lack of Depth in Defence
Karl Robinson was always going to rotate his starting line-up for this game, but what it showed was that, despite competition for places on most of the field, the defence is still an area that needs some depth.
On the left, Steve Seddon was rested with an important league game against Charlton Athletic at the weekend and youngster Michael Elechi was in self-isolation. As a result, the U’s boss gave a first start to midfielder Leon Chambers-Parillon.
In the middle, Jordan Thorniley kept his place with Luke McNally making his debut alongside him, while midfielder Anthony Forde stayed on the right in the absence of Sam Long.
With Elliott Moore missing with a chest infection and veteran skipper John Mousinho on the bench, the central options were short. It is the same story in the full-back positions, with Long still not fully fit and Jamie Hanson ruled out with a shoulder injury.
It is clear to see that the club still need left-sided cover. It would also be ideal if that player could play in the middle, too.
Josh Johnson
While he didn’t start, there was plenty of positivity around 16-year-old Josh Johnson earning a spot on the bench. The youngster replaced Marcus McGuane on 75 minutes and he impressed.
The midfielder didn’t look out of place during his 15 minutes on the pitch and showed great maturity, with Robinson praising his performances during pre-season.
Simon Eastwood
Simon Eastwood’s performances will be analysed in-depth given the form of his replacement, Jack Stevens.
In his first competitive game since February, the goalkeeper looked shaky during the game. He was beaten with a looping header that struck the bar and had Mark Sykes to thank when clearing an effort off the line.
Despite that, he was on hand in the shoot out, making one save and stopping another, which initially hit the bar, from rolling in.
