Gary Rowett felt his players showed a surprising lack of motivation as Oxford lost 2-1 at fellow Sky Bet Championship strugglers Hull.
Goalkeeper Jamie Cumming’s own goal was the key moment when he allowed Gustavo Puerto’s weak strike on the left byline to rebound off his right shin and into the net at his near post after 76 minutes.
Rowett said: “We had some really good moments, but it just felt like we gifted them the two goals.
“That’s why I’m so annoyed with the performance.
“It’s tough to take. This is one of the very few times that I’ve been angry with the players.
“With a team fighting for their lives, it felt like we didn’t quite want to win the game enough.”
Oxford have not won in nine Championship games and are now just four points clear of the relegation zone.
But that frustrating run of form looked to have reached an end when Michal Helik brilliantly volleyed home Matt Phillips’ corner after 66 minutes.
Hull, however, finally translated their greater possession into an equalising goal after Joe Gelhardt nicely converted Kacey Palmer’s through-ball seven minutes later.
Cumming’s dreadful mistake then proved decisive, after which Puerto was shown a second yellow card with an alleged dive in stoppage time.
Rowett said: “The two goals were so bad and that’s why I’m so annoyed with the performance as they didn’t look like they had enough to open us up.
“We started poorly and was a little bit passive. We grew into the game but I expected more fire about us.
“To go 1-0 up and, in a flick of a switch, go 2-1 down is tough to take.
“The frustration is that it was not as if we were under massive amounts of pressure – far from it.
“What you can’t accept is two soft goals and we didn’t fight for our lives to protect our win.
“At some point, someone’s gone to step up. We’ve had so many opportunities in recent games to put the hammer down and win.
“But we can’t just wait for other teams to lose. Getting into the position we did so quickly (in Rowett’s early days as Oxford manager), maybe we felt we had already done enough.”
Hull still have work to do to avert the threat of the relegation, but they have lost once in their last six games and are now above Oxford in the table.
Head coach Ruben Selles said: “It was a difficult game, but we deserved to win.
“We started well and then we missed a few passes and they grew into the game.
“We had to work hard but we got the victory and the performance and that was the most important thing.
“I’m happy, but I’m not surprised. What we did last week (the 1-1 draw at Bristol City with 10 men) showed us where we are as a team right now.
“We managed to come back and do it in a proper way. And when you do that, the points come when you are ready to go and take them.
“The important thing is the feeling and sensation to show that we can compete against anybody.”
[(SC Heerenveen) Weakness]: 1. SC Heerenveen currently ranked 14th in the Eredivisie table. In this match against FC Twente, SC Heerenveen, who are in mediocre form, will find it more difficult to win at home and lack motivation.2. SC Heerenveen defender Pawel Bochniewicz and midfielder Levi Smans will both miss this round of the Eredivisie due to injuries.3. SC Heerenveen have only managed 4 draw...
[(FC Tokyo) Strength]: 1. Although FC Tokyo lost 0-1 to Kashima Antlers at home last time, the team have achieved 5 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss in their last 7 home games, performing well overall at home.[(FC Tokyo) Weakness]: 1. FC Tokyo currently ranked 15th in the J1 League table. In this match against Kyoto Sanga FC, FC Tokyo, who have been in poor form recently, will find it more difficult to win...
[(FC Anyang) Strength]: 1. FC Anyang have scored a total of 13 goals in their last 10 matches, averaging 1.3 goals per game.[(FC Anyang) Weakness]: 1. FC Anyang lost 0-1 to Pohang Steelers in their last game, suffering their third consecutive defeat. They have lost six of their last seven matches, and the team's overall form is rather poor.2. After 26 rounds, FC Anyang have conceded 35 goals, rank...
[(Everton F.C.) Strength]: 1. The two sides have met 16 times in total, with Everton F.C. achieving a record of 7 wins, 4 draws and 5 losses, holding the upper hand.[(Everton F.C.) Weakness]: 1. Everton F.C. have not won a single game in their last seven matches across all competitions, losing five of them. The team's recent form is worrying.2. Everton F.C. have scored a total of 3 goals in their ...
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Arsenal get a corner: The battle for the Scudetto returns Gyokeres Celebration Combo (1st) Arsenal 5-0 Leeds Timber 34',56' / Saka 45+1' / Gyokeres 48',94'p Man City 0-2 Tottenham Chelsea top of the table now Pep Guardiola VS Tottenham Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: BleacherReportFootball, ZezoCartoons89,...
[(Crystal Palace F.C.) Strength]: 1. Crystal Palace F.C. scored 3 goals in 3 competitive games, with forward Jean-Philippe Mateta scoring 2 goals.2. Crystal Palace F.C. kept clean sheets in the last 2 games against Chelsea in the league and the Eliteserien team Fredrikstad in the Conference League.3. Crystal Palace F.C. were unbeaten with 7 wins and 2 draws in the last 9 home games across the seas...
[(FC Seoul) Strength]: 1. FC Seoul scored in each of their recent 6 games with 11 goals, showing decent attack.2. FC Seoul were unbeaten with 1 win and 1 draw in the previous 2 league games against Ulsan HD FC this season, slightly having the upper hand.[(FC Seoul) Weakness]: 1. FC Seoul lost 6-2 to Gimcheon Sangmu FC in the last league game on the road. They were winless in the recent 2 league ma...
'Victory Bodes Well for Future' – Gasperini Delighted with Roma’s Opening Day WinRoma boss Gian Piero Gasperini expressed his delight after his side’s 1-0 opening day victory over Bologna, insisting the result "bodes well" for the season ahead.The 67-year-old joined Roma after an impressive nine years with Serie A rivals Atalanta at the end of last season.Roma hosted Bologna in t...
'Not a Season-Defining Game' – Leeds' Farke Not Worried Despite Arsenal HumblingLeeds boss Daniel Farke insists the heavy defeat to Arsenal is 'not a season-defining game' and remains confident despite the heavy Premier League 5-0 defeat on Saturday (August 23).The West Yorkshire club were brought back down to Earth having earned an important 1-0 win over Everton in their first game back in ...
‘Milan cannot keep conceding such soft goals’ - Allegri Left Frustrated After Shock Opening Day DefeatMassimiliano Allegri voiced his frustration after Milan’s shock 2-1 Serie A opening day defeat to Cremonese on Saturday (August 23), criticising his side for conceding 'soft goals'.Federico Baschirotto, 28, opened the scoring for the visitors after Strahinja Pavlovic’s mist...
- 1 Ruben Amorim gives cryptic response when asked about Andre Onana returning to starting XI for Fulham clash after Altay Bayindir blunder handed Arsenal victory
- 2 Transfer rumors, news: Arsenal could turn to Lyon's Fofana
- 3 TIPS - Cerezo Osaka VS Vissel Kobe
- 4 TIPS - Gamba Osaka VS Yokohama FC
- 5 TIPS - Schalke 04 VS VfL Bochum
- 6 BVB, Monaco and Ajax go for unwanted West Ham midfielder Alvarez
- 7 ngland cricket legend’s granddaughter stuns in bikini
- 8 TIPS - Eintracht Frankfurt VS Werder Bremen
- 9 'Victory Bodes Well for Future' – Gasperini Delighted with Roma’s Opening Day Win
- 10 Lamela explains retirement decision: It started 11 years ago...