The hosts dominated the ball in the first half, having nine shots, with three of those on target. Early on, Matt Grimes made a burst through midfield and let fly with a dangerous right-footed shot which flew narrowly past the right-hand post. Tatsuhiro Sakamoto then had a great chance to open the scoring just after the half-hour mark, shooting low towards the bottom right-hand corner but U's keeper Jamie Cumming made a brilliant save. Oxford's best chance of the half came when Christ Makosso's super pass found Przemysław Płacheta, but the winger's attempt on goal went behind for a goal-kick. Frank Lampard's side pushed late on to break the deadlock, but the Oxford backline held firm and the points were shared.

Source: BBC February 07, 2026 17:14 UTC