Boss Karl Robinson was delighted with what he believes was an outstanding performance from his side last night as they ended 2022 with a 3-1 win over Charlton Athletic.
United bounced back from defeat at Ipswich on Boxing Day, their only loss in 12 games now, and the U’s' Boss was pleased with a storming first half which saw them play some exceptional football.
“I thought we showed in that first 45 minutes how frustrated we were by the second 45 at Ipswich” he told iFollow.
“I thought the players’ attention to detail was spot on. Charlton brought on some good players at half time and had new energy but at 2-1 Ed McGinty made one outstanding save and then we showed a bravery to keep playing, score a third and put the game to bed. We played so well but in the end it came down to one moment of brilliance from Ed”
The game saw Josh Murphy and Yanic Wildschut continue to shine as they return from injury while youngster Gatlin O’Donkor’s second senior goal was the icing on the cake for Karl:
“Josh is one of the best players in the league” Karl said. “We knew he and Yanic were going to play 45 minutes each because they are at that stage where they are using the games to get them fully fit because they’ve not had a pre-season.
“We have to be careful with that but I think he showed everyone today that he is on another level. Yanic is the same with his power and then you have Gatlin’s progression as well as the midfield three of McGuane, Bate and Brannagan who were excellent.
“We will be in tomorrow to recover but it was an outstanding 3-1 win and I thought today you saw the real Oxford United.”
See the full interview and extended highlights in iFollow