Oxford United secured their first win in six with a 4-2 victory away at Exeter.
The U’s led 3-0 at the break and added a fourth shortly after the restart, although the hosts did net two goals late on to take some of the gloss off a decent performance.
Here are three talking points from the game:
Set-Piece Goals
Oxford have struggled for goals this season so for the opening two to come from set pieces is pleasing in many aspects.
First, Cameron Brannagan netted from a free kick which was similar to his strike in Oxford’s last away win at Cheltenham, while the second came from a short free-kick which saw an effort from Brannagan saved before Sam Long tapped home.
Hopefully, this will give the U’s confidence from set pieces going further into the season.
Kyle Joseph
A man who has had his critics in recent weeks, Kyle Joseph stepped up to the plate with two decent goals.
His first was similar to Marcus Browne’s recent effort at Charlton as he ran from just inside the opponent’s half before striking low past the goalkeeper.
The second was that of a typical centre forward, tapping home the rebound after the goalkeeper only parried a shot.
Once again, his all-round performance was decent and he constantly ran around, causing a nuisance.
A Worthy Win Despite Late Goals
Oxford have been due an emphatic win all season but, as the campaign has been, there have been several bumps in the road. That emphatic win came in Devon but the bumps were the late goals conceded.
Of course, it didn’t affect the points but it extends the run of games of just one clean sheet in their last 14 matches.
