Oxford United picked up their first win of 2022 with a dramatic game at home to Sheffield Wednesday.
The U’s fell behind twice but were thankful to Matty Taylor to pull them level both times before substitute Sam Winnall netted late on against his former club.
Here are three talking points from the game.
Squad Selection and Formation Changes
With Gavin Whyte isolating after this daughter tested positive for Covid and Ryan Williams missing following the birth of his second child, the U’s also found themselves without James Henry with an Achilles injury.
As a result, Karl Robinson was forced to change formation with Cameron Brannagan and Marcus McGuane sitting in the holding midfield roles while Billy Bodin played as a number ten behind Taylor.
The formation didn’t work initially with Wednesday finding an early lead but Robinson switched to a 3-5-2 before the break and it lead to Taylor’s first equaliser.
This change in formation was pivotal in the way the U’s played as they matched their opposition’s shape and balance. It has been noted before that Robinson’s side have previously struggled against teams that line up that way but the change helped the U’s.
Oxford were then forced into a change at halftime with Luke McNally replacing Elliott Moore in defence and although the U’s shipped a second goal on 61 minutes, Taylor was on hand again to bundle the ball home for his 50th Oxford goal shortly after.
Late on, Winnall replaced Nathan Holland and the former Wednesday striker headed home a Bodin corner to earn the U’s all three points.
Not only was it two unlikely heroes involved to score the winner, but the regulars in Mark Sykes (playing as a makeshift right-wing-back), Cameron Brannagan and Taylor all put in a top-class performance.
Set Piece Goal
Not only was it a winning goal but it was pleasing to see Oxford score from a set-piece. The U’s have conceded a fair share from corners and free-kicks this season but haven’t looked threatening from these positions themselves.
But, as we have said before, it is an area of the pitch that Oxford can utilise if they work on them and it paid off against their promotion rivals.
Came From Behind Twice
Another pleasing factor was Oxford’s ability to bounce back. It’s been a difficult start to 2022 with one draw and two defeats and their heads could have dropped after falling behind on two separate occasions.
However, like in the reverse fixture at Hillsborough, Oxford are able to show a willingness and desire when their backs are against the wall, even with key players unavailable. This was highlighted even more in the seven additional minutes with several U’s players literally throwing their bodies on the line.
