Oxford United came from behind to win on the road at Fleetwood in League One.
The U’s fell behind on the stroke of halftime against a dominant Cod Army, but second-half changes and goals from Kyle Joseph and Ciaron Brown secured all three points.
Here are three talking points from the game.
Lineup
Simon Eastwood returned in goal in place of Ed McGinty but the back four remained the same, with Sam Long alongside Elliott Moore in the middle.
Marcus McGuane, Cameron Brannagan and Lewis Bate were the midfield three, but the former was replaced at halftime with Billy Bodin coming on.
Gatlin O’Donkor led the line with Matty Taylor and a returning Joseph taking a place on the bench. There was also a first start in the same game for Josh Murphy and Yanic Wildschut.
Fleetwood Flurry in First Half
As they did in the reverse fixture, Fleetwood began the game the much stronger side and could have been three or four goals up by the break.
Fortunately for Oxford, Eastwood made several crucial saves in the opening 45 minutes but will feel frustrated at conceding the opener, which once again came from outside the box.
The Cod Army ended the first half with six shots on target from 15 efforts, while Oxford only saw three efforts miss the target.
Substitutions and Set Piece Goal
Bodin replaced McGuane at the break but the game-changing substitution came when Joseph made his return from injury. The Swansea loanee had been on for less than a minute before picking the ball up on the right-hand side and surging through the Fleetwood defence and slotting the ball home.
Taylor and Tyler Goodrham also came on and made more of an impact than O’Donkor and Murphy, who were unable to get into the game.
The U’s were then awarded a controversial corner on the 90-minute mark. Moore headed Goodrham’s delivery back into the box and, at the second attempt, Brown poked the ball home.
Oxford rode their luck and arguably didn’t deserve anything from the game but it was a vital three points.
