Stoke City Vs Oxford Utd — stoke city vs oxford utd: Potters put another dent in U's survival bid
stoke city vs oxford utd ended 2-1 as Jesurun Rak-Sakyi's second-half header put the hosts back in front. The 23-year-old loanee’s goal and Lamine Cisse’s maiden league strike framed Ciaron Brown’s equaliser in a match that carried clear consequences for both clubs' Championship seasons.
Stoke City Vs Oxford Utd report
Stoke won 2-1 at the bet365 Stadium in a game that saw Lamine Cisse open the scoring and Ciaron Brown level on the stroke of half-time, before Jesurun Rak-Sakyi restored the lead in the second half. One account records Rak-Sakyi grabbing the winner in the 56th minute; another records his angled header after 57 minutes. The victory left Stoke seven points shy of the play-off places and eased the pressure of being dragged into a relegation scrap, while Oxford sit six points adrift of safety and West Brom in 21st place.
First-half action and goals
Stoke began strongly. Tommy Simkin released a 12th-minute pass through the middle to Million Manhoef, who fed Jesurun Rak-Sakyi; Rak-Sakyi fired a low shot at Jamie Cumming. Simkin also produced a 60-yard kick upfield that picked out Manhoef in the move described in other accounts of the game. Five minutes after the initial chance, Jamie Cumming was called on to deny Eric Bocat's low drive. Sorba Thomas tested the goalkeeper with a 20th-minute attempt that flew wide, and Oxford's first sight of goal came in the 25th minute when Will Lankshear's shot from the edge of the area was gathered by Simkin.
The deadlock finally broke on 37 minutes when Million Manhoef played in Lamine Cisse, who converted sweetly past Cumming for his maiden league goal for Stoke at the 24th attempt. Despite that first-half dominance by the hosts, Stoke were pegged back on the stroke of half-time when Will Vaulks chipped into the box, finding an unmarked Stanley Mills; Mills headed across the face of goal and Ciaron Brown volleyed home from eight yards to level.
Second-half winner and details
Early in the second half Oxford went close to a second when Will Lankshear backheeled a powerful Cameron Brannagan free-kick against the Stoke crossbar on 53 minutes. Shortly after, the hosts regained the lead: a delicate left-wing cross from Sorba Thomas found Jesurun Rak-Sakyi at the far post, and the 23-year-old, on loan from Crystal Palace and a player who began the season in Turkey and previously played for Charlton and Sheffield United, headed home for what completed the league double over relegation-threatened Oxford. The cross from Thomas was recorded as his eighth assist of the campaign.
The hosts had a further opportunity 18 minutes before the end when Cisse's looping attempt was cleared away by Will Vaulks. Stoke claimed Brown had been offside for Oxford's equaliser, but replays suggested the full-back was marginally onside. Will Lankshear, noted as a Spurs loanee, also hit the woodwork for Matt Bloomfield's side while the match was level.
Robins' reaction
Stoke City manager Mark Robins said he was pleased with parts of the performance and the result, and he praised the supporters who he said helped the team get the result over the line. He added that when an opponent sits in front of you with a low block or a mid block it is really difficult to break down, and that the team knew they had to play in a certain way and got the balance almost spot on. Robins also said the only disappointment was defending on set-plays and that they allowed the opponents back into the game when they should have been one, two or three up by that stage.
Season context and squad notes
Other coverage of the fixture noted the result ended one version of Stoke's recent poor run, ending a seven-match winless league run for the Potters in one account, while preview material published on 23 Feb 2026 by Calum Burrowes recorded the side as winless in eight and closer to the relegation zone than the top six. The preview noted Stoke had rescued a point with an 89th-minute equaliser against Leicester City at the weekend, and that Oxford's winless run had stretched to six matches after a goalless draw with promotion-chasing Middlesbrough.
The preview also set out wider season figures: Stoke had started the calendar year with three consecutive victories in all competitions but had since drawn four times, suffered defeats to sides below them in the table and exited the FA Cup. It recorded that Saturday had been the first time Stoke had scored in a league game for three matches and the first time they had scored more than once since their last Championship win at the start of January, with both goals that day coming from captain Ben Wilmot — a centre-back with three goals all season. The same preview stated that seven points separate Stoke from sixth-placed Wrexham with 13 matches remaining.
On Oxford's situation, the preview noted managerial changes and inconsistency left Matt Bloomfield's side fighting for survival, sitting 23rd after six wins, 11 draws and 16 defeats from 33 league outings. It recorded that Oxford had kept clean sheets against Coventry City and Middlesbrough but failed to score in both fixtures, and that, other than Sheffield Wednesday — who were deducted 18 points and have had their relegation confirmed — Oxford's attacking unit was the worst in the division. The pair had met earlier in the season at the Kassam Stadium, where the Potters won 3-0 in November.
Squad notes from the preview stated Stoke appeared to have come away from the latest clash with no further injuries, but that first-choice goalkeeper Viktor Johansson remained on the sidelines with a shoulder injury and had yet to play in 2026; Tommy Simkin had resumed in between the sticks and backup goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu was unavailable.
Closing: The match combined decisive moments from Lamine Cisse, Ciaron Brown and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and carried distinct implications for both clubs' Championship campaigns as the season progresses.
