Stoke City Vs Oxford Utd: Rak-Sakyi Header Ends Potters' Winless Run as Cisse and Brown Trade First-Half Goals

Stoke City Vs Oxford Utd produced a 2-1 home victory in which Jesurun Rak-Sakyi scored his first Stoke City goal to restore the hosts' lead and significantly affect both clubs' campaigns. The winner has been recorded in match accounts as occurring in the 56th minute in some accounts and the 57th minute in others; that goal moved Stoke seven points shy of the play-off places while leaving Oxford six points adrift of safety and West Brom in 21st.

Stoke City Vs Oxford Utd — timeline of the game

The match at the bet365 Stadium opened with early pressure from Stoke. A 12th-minute long release by goalkeeper Tommy Simkin picked out Million Manhoef; Manhoef fed Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, whose low effort was saved by goalkeeper Jamie Cumming. Five minutes later Cumming denied Eric Bocat's low drive.

Stoke's dominance continued into the first half: Sorba Thomas tested the target with a 20th-minute attempt that flew wide, and the visitors' first sight of goal arrived in the 25th minute when Will Lankshear shot from the edge of the area and Simkin gathered.

The deadlock was broken on 37 minutes when Million Manhoef played in Lamine Cisse, who finished past Cumming. On the stroke of half-time Will Vaulks chipped into the box for an unmarked Stanley Mills to head across the face of goal; Ciaron Brown volleyed home from around eight yards to level.

Early in the second half Oxford nearly retook the lead when Will Lankshear backheeled a powerful Cameron Brannagan free-kick onto the crossbar on 53 minutes. A few minutes later Rak-Sakyi was at the far post to head home following a delicate left-wing cross from Sorba Thomas — Thomas's eighth assist of the campaign — and restore Stoke's advantage. Late in the game Cisse saw a looping attempt cleared by Will Vaulks around 18 minutes from the end.

Key performers and match facts

• Jesurun Rak-Sakyi: 23-year-old loanee from Crystal Palace who scored his first goal for Stoke; he had begun the season in Turkey and is a former Charlton and Sheffield United forward in career background.
• Lamine Cisse: opened the scoring for the hosts; it was described as his maiden league goal for the Potters at his 24th attempt.
• Ciaron Brown: levelled for Oxford with a volley on the stroke of half-time.
• Will Lankshear: a loanee from Spurs who forced a big moment when his backheel saw the ball crash against the crossbar.
• Tommy Simkin: resumed in goal for Stoke and produced the 60-yard kick that initiated the early attacking move involving Manhoef and Rak-Sakyi.

Manager reaction and tactical takeaways

Stoke manager Mark Robins expressed satisfaction with parts of the performance and with the result, praising supporters for their role in getting the outcome over the line. He acknowledged the difficulty of breaking down an opponent set up with a low or mid block, said he thought Stoke found an almost perfect balance in their play, and described defending from set-pieces as the only real disappointment because it allowed Oxford back into the game when Stoke should have been comfortably ahead.

Season context: what this result means for both clubs

The win eased immediate pressure on Stoke — leaving them seven points from the play-off positions — and was described as restoring Mark Robins's side to winning ways while ending a run without league victories that has been characterised differently in recent coverage: one account noted the win ended a seven-match winless league run, while other summaries placed Stoke as winless in eight overall during their recent difficult spell.

For Oxford the defeat deepens a worrying situation. The U's sit in 21st place in one match account and 23rd in another season overview, described as being six points adrift of safety and six points from West Brom in 21st in one description. Commentary in the build-up noted Oxford had a winless run that extended to six matches after a goalless draw with Middlesbrough, and that managerial changes and inconsistency have left Matt Bloomfield's side fighting for survival.

Broader form lines and squad notes

Preview material from 23 Feb 2026 by Calum Burrowes (last updated 23 Feb 2026 17: 45) highlighted that Stoke had begun the calendar year with three consecutive victories in all competitions but then suffered a slip that included four draws, defeats to sides below them, an FA Cup exit and a run in which they had not scored in league games for three matches until an 89th-minute equaliser at the weekend against Leicester City. That weekend draw was secured by two late goals from captain Ben Wilmot, who provided both goals at a time when his total for the season stood at three.

The same preview noted that seven points separated Stoke from sixth-placed Wrexham with 13 matches remaining, leaving a theoretical pathway back into play-off contention if form turned. For Oxford the preview recorded season totals of six wins, 11 draws and 16 defeats from 33 league outings and pointed out clean sheets kept against Coventry City and Middlesbrough where they nonetheless failed to score. Sheffield Wednesday were noted to have been deducted 18 points with relegation confirmed, and Oxford's attacking unit was described as the weakest in the division aside from that deducted club.

Squad availability updates in the preview stated Stoke appeared to have emerged from the latest clash with no further injuries. The club's first-choice goalkeeper Viktor Johansson remained sidelined with a shoulder injury and had yet to play in 2026, leaving Tommy Simkin to resume; backup goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu was also unavailable. The two clubs had already met earlier in the season with Stoke winning 3-0 at the Kassam Stadium in November, meaning the bet365 Stadium result completed a league double over Oxford in the campaign.

What to watch next

Stoke will aim to build on the reprieve provided by Rak-Sakyi's decisive header and address set-piece defending, while Oxford must seek goals from a struggling attack and take advantage of upcoming fixtures against fellow strugglers that could offer an opportunity to climb out of the danger zone. Recent coverage shows slight variations in match minute details and run-length descriptions; those discrepancies are noted here as part of the public record of the game.