Sky Bet EFL Championship
Tuesday 25 November 2025
Carrow Road, Norwich
Norwich City… 1
(Makama 29’)
Oxford United… 1
(Krastev 90+5’)
Filip Krastev’s dramatic stoppage time goal sealed a point for Oxford United in a 1-1 draw away to Norwich City.
A first half goal from Jovon Makama looked to have given the hosts three points as the clocked ticked down, however, the Bulgarian international’s first goal for the Club in the 95th minute sealed a deserved point.
Gary Rowett made three changes from Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough, with Hidde ter Avest, Will Vaulks and Mark Harris in from the start.
Luke Harris was the man to grab the goal on Saturday and he was threating inside the opening 10 minutes and he had a penalty appeal turned down early on.
Tyler Goodrham had United’s first shot of the game, testing Vladan Kovacevic with a left footed attempt from the edge of the box. The shot lacked any pace, and it was a comfortable diving save.
Seven minutes later and Ciaron Brown thought he had given United the lead. A second phase freekick resulted in Brown getting a powerful header on goal from six yards out, which the keeper done superbly well to tip away from the roof of the net and onto the crossbar.
Gary Rowett’s side were performing well despite Norwich’s Jovon Makama forcing Jamie Cumming into a strong near post save on 22 minutes.
It was a warning sign and with City’s next attack, Makama did score. United failed to win the first header from a ball into the area, and then the second header, with the ball dropping to 21-year-old 12 yards out who lashed the ball into the top right corner.
A bitter blow for Oxford, and they failed to muster any chances of note before the break, entering the half 1-0 down.
Straight into the second period and Goodrham had another shot on target. Racing down the left wing and into the box, the Academy graduate failed to get any power behind his attempt as it went straight down Kovacevic’s throat.
A minute later and Norwich missed a glorious chance to make it 2-0. Kenny McLean had the vision to pick out Josh Sargent with a scooped pass over the top, and from eight yards out the USA international hit his first-time shot straight at Cumming.
Brian De Keersmaecker is still without an Oxford United goal, but he almost had it at 59 minutes. Will Vaulks disguised a long throw, finding the Belgian on the edge of the box and his rasping shot from 25 yards whizzed inches wide of the top right corner.
Back came Norwich with Oscar Schwartau and Emiliano Marcondes putting United under serious pressure with two big opportunities a minute apart from each other. First Schwartau met a deep cross at the back post to steer a first-time shot just wide, then Marcondes had a shot from 12 yards which was arrowing on goal but for a heroic deflection from Michal Helik.
Gary Rowett made four changes with 25 minutes to play as he pushed for the equaliser, with Will Lankshear and Nik Prelec on up top. The Slovenian striker was close to getting on a Vaulks cross with six minutes to play, but the ball just bounced the wrong side of the post despite missing the contact.
Then the moment came five minutes into stoppage time. Stan Mills picked out Sam Long in space in the box, and the defender showed outstanding composure to pick out Krastev in the centre of the box. The forward showed immense composure to calmly slot the ball into the bottom right corner to send the United fans in the opposite corner wild.
A huge point, now all the attention changes to Ipswich Town on Friday night at home.
Norwich City: Kovacevic, Stacey, Darling, Sargent, Macdones, McConville, Topic, McLean, Makama, Schwartau, Fisher
Subs: Grimshaw, Duffy, Medic, Mattsson, Jrasek, Wright, Forson, Kvistgaarden, Mundle-Smith
Oxford United: Cumming, Long, Helik, Brown (Davies 80’), Currie, ter Avest (Mills 66’), Vaulks, De Keersmaecker, L. Harris (Prelec 66’), Goodrham (Krastev 66’), M. Harris (Lankshear 66’)
Subs: Ingram, Placheta, Romeny, Leigh, Davies
Attendance: 24,922