Oxford United got their Papa John's Trophy campaign off to a winning start tonight with a resounding 5-0 win over League 2 leaders Leyton Orient.

First-half goals from John Mousinho and Cameron Brannagan were followed by goals from Kyle Joseph, Stuart Findlay and Matty Taylor after the break to give United the perfect start to their group games.

Karl Robinson's men set the tone when Billy Bodin floated over a perfect free kick in just the third minute and Mousinho showed us all what we have been missing by kneeing the ball home from close range for his first goal since 2019. Not many players have had an entire global pandemic in between goals, surely?

Orient, unbeaten in the league so far, changed all 11 players from the side that beat Hartlepool at the weekend, but United resisted that temptation and instead experimented with the shape of the team, playing with just three at the back and asking Bodin and James Henry to provide the width in midfield.

It worked well, with players swapping roles and both Brannagan and Lewis Bate popping up from midfield to test keeper Sam Sargeant with efforts from just outside the box.

Keeper Ed McGinty made an excellent save to preserve the lead on the half hour, smartly off his line to block a Ruel Sotiriou effort, but his opposite number bettered that with a flying save to deny Bodin two minutes later. The excellent McGuane stabbed an effort wide of the mark a minute later after some intricate build up play, but another good save was needed when McGinty stopped an Anthony Georgiou effort to keep it at 1-0.

An equaliser just before the break would have changed the flow of the game, but instead United capped a fine first 45 minutes when Brannagan doubled the lead, playing the ball into Bate, seizing on the one-two, and firing past the flying Sargeant with the last touch of the half.

McGinty continued to impress with a good save from Zach Obiero soon after the interval, and Orient came at United with some good football. However, they were taking risks in doing so and just before the hour Joseph, having been turned away several times, found room between three men of the Orient to get a final touch after Taylor had headed goalwards.

Soon after, Findlay rose to glide home a simple header to make it 4-0 with his first goals for United and the U's were cruising to a first win in Group G.

The only thing we were missing was a goal for Taylor, and with seven minutes to go that came when Shadrach Ogie lost his bearings and presented the ball to last season's leading scorer, who danced round Sargeant and rolled the ball home for a much welcome first goal of the season.

When the Big Book of Oxford United is written, this game is not going to feature too prominently, but a win boosts confidence, it sets United up nicely for their two remaining group games against Chelsea U21 and Sutton United, there was a clean sheet for a young keeper, Taylor is off the mark and there were further chances for teenagers Gatlin O'Donkor, James Golding, Slavi Spasov and Tyler Goodrham to impress as subs.

Not a bad night's work at all.

Att: 1,374
Away: 132

Report by Chris Williams, pictures Steve Daniels and Steve Edmunds