1 week Ago
The U’s were brave offensively in the first half against the Blades, and then defended resolutely after nudging in front before half-time. That result on Saturday heightened hopes heading into last night’s home clash with Queens Park Rangers, but it proved to be a woeful evening for United. We picked out the key talking points from the 3-1 defeat against the Hoops.
See our player ratings here Tepid first half kills the game for U’s Following such a good result at the weekend, and then with how the games panned out on Tuesday, there was an opportunity for United to move six points clear of the relegation zone with a win against QPR. However, two sloppy goals conceded at either end of the first half left the U’s with an uphill task in the second period. Things did improve after the restart, and the introduction from the bench of Stan Mills swung some instant momentum in favour of United when he headed home excellently from a Siriki Dembele cross.
But as we have seen so often this season, the U’s then didn’t have the required quality in the final third to haul themselves level. Less than sixty seconds into 11 minutes of stoppage time, the match was put to bed as Dembele dawdled too long on the ball, allowing the Hoops to steal in and launch a ruthless counter-attack. CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE OXFORD MAIL ONLINE (Image: Newsquest) Jamie Cumming makes uncharacteristic errors Cumming has been one of United’s standout performers this season, and in fact, alongside Ciaron Brown, would be a front-runner for the club’s player of the year.
This was the second game in recent weeks though where mistakes proved costly. In the 2-1 loss at Hull City last month, Cumming saw an effort squirm inside his near post for the winner, and errors on his part did the damage against the Hoops. He fumbled at a Ronnie Edwards header as the Hoops took the lead after seven minutes, and then some indecision and a mix-up with Ole Romeny saw the ball bounce off the latter for an own goal three minutes before half-time.
If the U’s are to secure Sky Bet Championship survival in their final five matches, they will need the Cumming we have seen for almost the entirety of the season so far. Brown injury a big blow The early soundings for the injury suffered by the aforementioned Brown don’t read well. He came off worse from a 50/50 challenge early on, and the fear is that Brown has suffered a knee ligament injury.
If that’s the case, it may well prove to be the end of the season for Brown, and that would leave a gaping hole to fill in the United defence..
