Oxford United extended their unbeaten league run to nine games with a hard-fought victory at MK Dons.
The U’s fell behind early and had two goals ruled out for offside but scored twice after the restart through Matty Taylor and Mark Sykes to take home all three points. That said, they were also thankful to Simon Eastwood who made some top saves during the match.
Here are three talking points from the game.
Brannagan Back In
When the team selection was announced, many were surprised to see the inclusion of Cameron Brannagan.
The midfielder was substituted at halftime as the U’s won by the same scoreline at Doncaster on Tuesday night and had missed much of this week’s training with a hamstring injury.
Before the game, Karl Robinson said: “He didn’t train Thursday or Wednesday, but trained yesterday.
“The medical team passed him fit at 1pm yesterday after completing a series of tests.”
The midfielder played the full 90 minutes and didn’t look out of place. The only area of disappointment was his missed chance in the first half. Other than that, he was bang on form.
Goal From Set Piece
It hasn’t happened often this season, but Oxford found their equaliser from a well-worked set-piece.
Herbie Kane delivered a free-kick from the left-hand side and Matty Taylor moved away from his marker before flicking the ball into the bottom corner.
It was the striker’s tenth goal of the season, having had two ruled out for offside in the first half.
Having goals from set plays is something that the U’s need to utilise and it came at a good time against the Dons.
Important Win
Not only did this win extend the unbeaten run but it was important for two reasons.
Firstly, it was a first victory from a losing position this season. The U’s have rarely fallen behind in games but when they have, have found it difficult to get back into the game.
Secondly, it was another win against a promotion rival. For the last few seasons, many supporters have been saying that the U’s need to beat those teams around them – an area in which they have struggled. But now, Robinson’s side have picked up points against five of the top ten sides in League One.
