Oxford United beat Wigan Athletic: Key talking points

We had a look at the key talking points from the game.

Read our match report here

First league goal for Josh Murphy

Former Cardiff City winger Murphy has endured an up and down time at United, with injuries and loss of form getting in the way of showing what he is capable of.

Karl Robinson brought Murphy to the club, but persistent fitness problems limited how much U’s fans saw of him.

Then under Liam Manning, the wide man was frozen out at times, and it has taken until Des Buckingham’s arrival for supporters to get a glimpse of Murphy’s quality.

His goal against the Latics was his first in the league for United, as he arrowed in a low strike into the bottom corner from the edge of the penalty area.

The finish came at a crucial time in the game, as it allowed the U’s to enter the half-time break on level terms.

Murphy has shown flashes of his abilities under Buckingham, and the goal will hopefully act as a stepping stone to regular positive displays.

There is no doubt a very talented player in Murphy, and performances like the one against the Latics show he can cause serious problems for League One defences.

Impact from the bench

Both Tyler Goodrham and Ruben Rodrigues scored for United after coming off the bench.

The latter made it 3-1 with a rebound finish in the penalty box, while Goodrham sealed the points in stoppage time with an instinctive half-volley.

Both players looked fresh and vibrant when they came on, adding new energy to the U’s final third.

Billy Bodin came on for the final quarter of an hour, while Tyler Burey was an unused substitute.

Injuries mean Buckingham has very rarely had the luxury of such attacking options from the bench, and being able to make those types of switches going forward should help United finish games strongly, and even pick up extra points here and there.

Options in midfield

Jay Matete made his first U’s start and put in a solid performance, as he broke up play and set the team off on counter-attacks.

In the first half, he partnered Marcus McGuane in a double pivot, with Cameron Brannagan playing higher up the pitch.

McGuane and Brannagan switched roles in the second period, and it is that sort of flexibility, especially when Rodrigues is thrown into the mix too, that could be huge for United in the final months of the season.

Jamie Cumming saves

Following his wonder save at Blackpool, Cumming again caught the eye with a handful of good stops.

The most important came when the score was 3-2, as he denied Callum McManaman at his near post.

Growing in confidence, Cumming has shown how good a goalkeeper he is in the past two games.