adminOxford United manager Aaron Ramsey watched his side produce one of the biggest statements of the early League One season as they stunned Leicester City with a ruthless 4-0 victory at the King Power Stadium.
A brace from Mark Harris and goals from Jamie McDonnell and 18-year-old Mo Missanga secured a convincing victory for Oxford, with Kai Andrews registering two assists on his full debut after joining on loan from Coventry. Luka Lynch, on loan from Aston Villa, also provided an assist on his debut.
For Leicester, the result represented another difficult afternoon after their tricky start to the season, while attention once again turned towards Russell Martin and the way his team had been set up.
Ramsey, who is in his first managerial job, had clearly identified areas where Oxford could hurt Leicester. Rather than simply trying to dominate possession, Oxford were prepared to remain patient before becoming aggressive at the right moments.
The Oxford boss explained that his team had made tactical adjustments specifically to create opportunities against Martin’s side.
He told the Oxford Mail: “The way that we wanted to build, we tweaked it a little bit so that we can create some overloads in certain areas and capitalise in there on the opposite side.
“To get it, it’s a simple one-two punch.
“It was really pleasing that that came to life and then out of possession just being really patient. And then when it came into two areas, being super aggressive in that press. The team were ready from the off, you could sense it.”
Ramsey had expected Leicester to provide a difficult challenge despite their poor start and believed Oxford would have to perform at their very best to leave the King Power Stadium with all three points.
But it was his assessment of Martin’s tactical approach that offered perhaps the most revealing insight into how Oxford managed to dismantle Leicester.
“Leicester are a tough team. The way that Russell sets them up is really challenging at times, and he definitely tests you; you have to be switched on throughout the whole game.
“They do like to try and commit and link off the striker as well, and find the spare man. But I thought the boys dealt with that really, really well today. Actually, we created lots of transitional moments from that.”
Ramsey’s comments underline the preparation that went into Oxford’s emphatic victory, with his players successfully exploiting the spaces they identified and turning Leicester’s attacking approach into opportunities at the other end.
The 4-0 scoreline ultimately reflected a dominant performance from Oxford and leaves Martin facing further scrutiny after another damaging result.
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Abdulhafiz Teslim
