OXFORD United were sent crashing out of the third round of the Emirates FA Cup with a 3-1 defeat at Exeter City.
Matt Phillips gave United the lead when he rounded off a sharp counter-attack inside quarter of an hour, but the Grecians hit back via a Demetri Mitchell brace to lead at the break.
Vincent Harper ensured the Sky Bet League One side had a two-goal advantage when he netted after 64 minutes, while the U’s saw Tyler Goodrham shown a straight red card in the closing stages.
We had a look at the key talking points from United’s cup exit.
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U’s full backs exploited
Each of the Grecians goals can be traced back to a moment of weakness from United’s full backs Hidde ter Avest and Greg Leigh.
Dutch right back ter Avest wasn’t tight enough to Harper when the Grecians player crossed to the back post, where Mitchell buried a first-time volley inside Matt Ingram’s near post for the equalising goal.
Mitchell ran the show for the Grecians, but Leigh wasn’t able to get to grips with him, and then the Grecians third goal came down their left-hand side.
Harper was afforded far too much space by ter Avest on the edge of the penalty area, and then arrowed a strike across goal and inside the far post.
It was an afternoon to forget for the U’s, but in particular a tough outing for United’s starting full backs.
Siriki Dembele a bright spark
There was an interesting call from Gary Rowett in opting to play Dembele centrally, with Louie Sibley on the left-hand side.
The switch of their more natural roles certainly favoured Dembele, who was by far United’s most creative outlet.
The 28-year-old was at the heart of most good things for the U’s in the first half, creating an early chance for Dane Scarlett, and was then heavily involved in the opening goal.
Dembele brought the ball away from a Grecians corner, and then found Scarlett down the right-hand side, with the Tottenham Hotspur loanee delivering a pinpoint cross for Phillips at the back post.
In the second half, Dembele moved out to the left, with Sibley central, but he continued to be an offensive threat for United.
The experiment with playing Sibley on the left in the first half ensured the former Derby County midfielder could drift inside, like Goodrham has done under Rowett, but Sibley broadly struggled to get involved in the game.
Goodrham sending off
The red card shown to Goodrham was a debatable one, but can be understood by the letter of the law.
Jake Richards pulled on Goodrham’s shirt, leading to the U’s midfielder reacting by throwing an arm in the direction of the Grecians player.
It wasn’t a malicious act, but Goodrham should know better, and hopefully it’s an experience the 21-year-old can learn from.