REPORT Coventry City 6 Oxford United 2
This afternoon, Oxford United was knocked out of the Emirates FA Cup by Coventry City, who are currently playing in the Championship and in great form. Coventry City was simply too powerful for Oxford United.
The match began with a bang as four goals were scored in just 17 minutes. Mark Harris, who had already scored eight times for the U's this season, managed to score in between goals from Joel Latibeaudiere and Ben Sheaf. Kasey Palmer also scored an exceptional goal during this time. In the second half, Callum O'Hare was awarded a penalty which he successfully converted. Sub Matty Godden added two more goals to secure a comfortable victory for the Sky Blues. Although Tyler Goodrham managed to score a late goal for the losing team, it was not enough to turn the game around.
. Early in the game, Manchester United fell behind due to Latibeaudiere's close-range goal from a corner kick. However, just a minute and a half later, Oxford United managed to even the score when Harris got a hold of the ball from McGuane and took a shot from 25 yards out. The ball deflected off another player and flew past the goalie into the left side of the goal. Despite an optimistic start for Oxford United, the home team quickly sealed their victory with two consecutive goals, crushing any hope of an upset.
Amazingly, the Sky Blues managed to take the lead again in just two minutes. This happened during open play as Ellis Simms advanced towards the left side of the field and passed the ball to captain Sheaf who was near the penalty area. Despite McGuane's attempts to block it, Sheaf was able to shoot past Simon Eastwood and score the third goal in three minutes, making it 2-1.
If the game had continued like that for a little longer, the outcome might have been different. However, at the 17th minute, Palmer moved confidently into an open area 30 yards away from the opponent's goal and aimed for the target. His shot was impressive and unstoppable, flying into the top corner and increasing their lead to 3-1. This made it difficult for the opponents, leaving them with a difficult task to overcome.
The opposing team was kept at a distance for the remaining half of the match but they didn't show any promising signs of equalizing. This resulted in a change in tactics during half-time as Billy Bodin and Stan Mills were moved up front and the formation was altered to have four defenders instead of wing backs from the first half.
By the time either team had a chance to really make a difference, the game was already over. Eastwood managed to make a solid save shortly after the second half began, which prevented the score from becoming 3-2, but soon after, United's fate was sealed. O'Hare scored a penalty kick after Brown was unfairly judged to have fouled Palmer while trying to block his shot.
During the game, Eastwood blocked shots from Simms twice and Palmer, while defenders also managed to block some attempts. Midfielders chased the ball and put in a lot of effort, but it wasn't until ten minutes before the end of the game that Goodrham managed to score for the team, making it 4-2. This at least gave some comfort to the 3,191 away fans who had travelled to watch the game. However, Godden managed to find a gap in the area and curl the ball past Eastwood to score a fifth goal for Coventry, making it 5-2. The game was then finished off with another goal on 89 minutes. This meant that the travelling supporters had to pack away their FA cups made out of tin foil and wait for another year, while former champions Coventry moved forward to the Fourth Round draw, which will take place on Monday.
Stan Mills suffered an injury during injury time that required him to be carried on a stretcher, bringing an unfortunate end to United's day. However, the team needs to swiftly shift their focus to the upcoming Bristol Street Motors Trophy at AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday night, where they aim to secure their spot at the Wembley final.
Blog post written by Chris Williams with photos captured by Steve Daniels, Jason Pix, Steve Edmunds, and Darrell Fisher.
