Sky Bet Championship
Saturday 30 August 2025
Kassam Stadium, Oxford
Oxford United… 2
(Lankshear 19’, Brannagan 75’)
Coventry City… 2
(Wright 11’, Torp 37’)
Oxford United battled to earn a 2-2 draw at home to Coventry City in a thoroughly entertaining and dramatic game.
Falling behind twice, Will Lankshear and Cameron Brannagan pulled United back into it with their second goals of the season, with chances at either end to win it right at the death.
Coventry came into this one in outstanding goal scoring form, bagging 12 in their last two league fixtures, and it took them 12 minutes to find the net this time.
Hagi Wright did have the ball in the net three minutes earlier, but he was ruled out for offside, and on this occasion, he wasn’t to be undone, poking the ball past Jamie Cumming inside the six-yard box.
It wasn’t the start Oxford needed but they came flying back into it. Tyler Goodrham dipped an effort just wide on 15 minutes and that was the first warning sign of the U’s fightback, followed by the equaliser four minutes later.
Lankshear was the man to get United back into it, the on-loan Tottenham striker was the first to react after Cameron Brannagan’s thunderous free kick was pushed back into the box, and he was calm to convert with a first-time finish.
City were scoring goals for a reason, and they continued to threaten thereafter. Jack Rudoni and Ephron Mason-Clark both saw efforts creep across goal, before Torp did put the visitors back in front. From the edge of the box, the Danish midfielder scored a stunning free kick, dipping the ball up and over the wall with eight minutes left of the half.
It could have been 3-1 before the break, but for Cumming, who produced a wonderful stop from Mason-Clark who was played through on goal.
United needed a reaction in the second half and they thought they had found it on 53 minutes. Brian De Keersmaecker curled in one of the balls of the season from deep, finding Lankshear at the back post who confidently head home, but for the offside flag to go up.
Lankshear was causing lots of issues, and he should have made it 2-2 on 63 minutes. Phillips sent the ball over the top and the England Under-21 international done all the hard work to get on the ball, hold off a defender, but his finish from six yards out went over the bar.
United were giving it everything in the second 45 and it was that man Brannagan who finally got the well-deserved equaliser. Again, it was from a free kick where the magic moment came, this time from a tight angle to the right of the penalty box he curled it round the wall, and it flew past Carl Rushworth.
Up went the Oxford charge to get into the lead and De Keersmaecker almost found the top right corner just moments later with a great effort from just inside the box.
There were huge opportunities at either end right before full time. First of all, Siriki Dembele sent the ball over the bar from 12 yards out after an outstanding team move. Then, on the 90th minute, Wright smashed the bar for Coventry from a similar position.
A point in an entertaining game, and United are on the board heading into the international break.
Oxford United: Cumming, Ter Avest, Long, Helik, Leigh, Brannagan, De Keersmaecker (Vaulks 90’), Placheta (Mills 72’), Goodrham (Dembele 72’), Phillips (Prelec 72’), Lankshear (L.Harris 87’)
Subs Not Used: Eastwood, M. Harris, Bradshaw, Currie
Coventry City: Rushworth, Dasilva, Thomas, Rudoni, Grimes, Mason-Clark, Wright, Kitching, Thomas-Asante, Van Ewijk, Trop
Subs Not Used: Wilson, Sakamoto, Allen, Simms, Sheaf, Raphael, Kesler-Hayden, Bidwell, Angel Brau
Attendance: 11,229 (1,514 away)
50/50: 68,465. Prize Money: 1,446
