Stoke City Vs Oxford Utd: Jesurun Rak-Sakyi header seals 2-1 win in stoke city vs oxford utd

Jesurun Rak-Sakyi’s second-half header earned Stoke a 2-1 victory over Oxford United at the bet365 Stadium, a result that ends a lengthy winless run for the Potters and intensifies the relegation battle for the visitors in the Championship. The stoke city vs oxford utd fixture produced a late first for Rak-Sakyi and several key moments that will shape both clubs’ immediate priorities.

Rak-Sakyi’s decisive header and the goal chronology

Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, the 23-year-old loanee from Crystal Palace who began the season in Turkey, scored his first Stoke City goal to put the hosts back in front. One timing records the winner at the 56th minute and another times it at 57 minutes; either way, the finish came early in the second half from a headed finish at the far post. Lamine Cisse had opened the scoring for Stoke with what was described as his maiden league goal for the club at the 24th attempt, and Ciaron Brown volleyed Oxford level on the stroke of half-time after a Will Vaulks chipped ball found an unmarked Stanley Mills and Brown finished from about eight yards.

Early Stoke pressure: Simkin, Manhoef and chances inside the opening third

Stoke dominated the opening third, with goalkeeper Tommy Simkin starting the move that almost led to an early breakthrough. In the 12th minute Simkin released a long pass that picked out Million Manhoef; Manhoef played in Rak-Sakyi, whose low shot was saved by Jamie Cumming. Five minutes later Cumming denied Eric Bocat’s low drive. Sorba Thomas tested his luck with a 20th-minute effort that flew wide, while Will Lankshear’s 25th-minute shot for Oxford from the edge of the area was comfortably gathered by Simkin.

Key turning points: set-plays, woodwork and Thomas’ assist

Stoke’s opening goal arrived on 37 minutes after a swift move in which Manhoef played in Lamine Cisse, who beat Cumming from about 18 yards. Oxford went close to a second on 53 minutes when Will Lankshear backheeled a powerful Cameron Brannagan free-kick against the crossbar. The winning header arrived when Sorba Thomas delivered a delicate left-wing cross — noted as his eighth assist of the campaign — and Rak-Sakyi headed in at the far post. Later, Cisse almost made it 3-1 when a looping attempt was cleared away by Will Vaulks about 18 minutes from the end.

Immediate consequences: home relief for Stoke, mounting pressure for Oxford

The victory eased some pressure on Stoke, who were described as having their long winless run ended by this result and who remain seven points shy of the play-off places. The win was also noted as Stoke’s first home Championship success since December 13 and completed a league double over relegation-threatened Oxford. For Oxford the situation remains alarming: one account places them six points adrift of safety with West Brom in 21st place, while another assessment has the U’s sitting 23rd after recording six wins, 11 draws and 16 defeats from 33 league outings.

Manager reactions and squad context ahead and behind the scenes

Stoke manager Mark Robins praised the performance and supporters, saying, "I'm pleased with some of the performance and the result, immensely. I am pleased with the way the supporters stuck by us and helped us get that result over the line. " He added: "When there is an opponent sat in front of you with a low block or a mid block then it is really difficult to break down. We knew we had to play in a certain way, and I thought we got the balance almost spot on. " Robins also stressed defensive frustration, saying, "The only disappointment for me was the defending on the set-play and we allowed them back into the game when we should have been one, two or three up by that stage. "

Squad context mentioned before the match included goalkeeper issues: Tommy Simkin had resumed in goal while first-choice Viktor Johansson remained sidelined with a shoulder injury, and backup goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu was also unavailable. Stoke’s recent form had been described in differing terms: the win ended what was described as a seven-match winless league run, while a pre-match overview had characterised the side as winless in eight and noted they had started the calendar year with three consecutive wins before the slump. Oxford’s struggles were linked to managerial changes and inconsistency in the campaign.