RAFA’S RUMBLED
Toon fail to get a first as Oxford give them the third degree
ON Friday night, the Oxford Union hosted a Town versus Gown boxing event in its debating chamber. Yesterday, at the Kassam Stadium, it was Gown versus Toon and a Newcastle side weakened by nine changes made by Rafa Benitez lost by a knockout to a rampant Oxford United team who marched through to the FA Cup fifth round.
Once the Newcastle team sheet appeared, the result was hardly a surprise even though Oxford sit 12th in League One and Newcastle are flying high in the Championship. Benitez pointed out afterwards that the difference in financial rewards between the second tier and the Premier League is ‘massive’. Promotion is all.
The problem with the FA Cup is that there is a difference between the way managers feel about it and how the fans regard it. The romance of it started to die a long time ago. There are only pockets of it left now and despite Newcastle’s capitulation, there were traces of it here.
It was a great day for Michael Appleton’s upwardly-mobile Oxford, who sold out their three-sided stadium. Their Cup exploits have recalled their glory days of the mid80s and Appleton insisted their achievement was not devalued by the selections made by Benitez.
Their third goal was scored by teenage striker Toni Martinez, who only arrived at the club on loan from West Ham earlier in the week and was making his debut. Their first was forced in by Kane Hemmings, only playing because Ryan Taylor is about to be sold. There is a real feeling that the good times are returning here and the Cup is underlining the sense of optimism.
If Oxford looked assured and accomplished, Newcastle’ s second string were abject, particularly in defence. Their forward, Aleksandar Mitrovic, had a particularly wretched afternoon, missing several chances and seeing his second-half penalty saved by man of the match Simon Eastwood.
If he had scored, it would have brought the scores level. ‘The save gave us a lift,’ Appleton said. ‘The Cup isn’t our priority. Getting to 50 points is our priority and if we can threaten to get into the playoffs and ask a few questions of the teams above us, I’ll be delighted.
‘I understand why Rafa picked the team he picked. Managers want to win every game they play and he sent out a team that he expected would beat Oxford United. No doubt about that. It’s a great achievement for us. If you put this Newcastle squad in the Premier League now, they’d be in the top ten.’ Having made eight changes for the third-round tie against Birmingham, Benitez went one better here and paid the price.
The first 20 minutes were notable only for Oxford’s attempts to wind up Mitrovic. Inevitably, given his volatile history, they were successful. He was subjected to some robust tackling and reacted by swinging an elbow at Chey Dunkley. He failed to connect, which was a theme of his general performance in the first half, and despite the protestations of the Oxford players, the referee did not even show him a yellow card.
Mitrovic should have scored after 28 minutes when Isaac Hayden dispossessed John Lundstram and burst into the Oxford penalty area. He laid the ball square to Mitrovic but the Serb slipped as he tried to shoot, much to the delight of the home fans behind the goal.
Oxford were holding their own, though, and a minute later they nearly scored when Rob Hall forced a smart save out of Matz Sels from a well-worked corner.
Mitrovic wasted another golden opportunity when he hit his shot too close to the goalkeeper and allowed him to turn it away for a corner.
He saved his worst miss for the last minute of the first half, hitting a tame sidefoot too close to Eastwood.
A minute after the interval, Oxford made Newcastle pay for their profligacy. Chris Maguire made space on the right and floated a cross to the back post where it was headed back across goal by Dunkley. Newcastle tried to clear it but Hemmings forced it over the line.
Newcastle started to play with more urgency and poured on the pressure. Midway through the half, Mitrovic appeared to be on the verge of making atonement when he won a penalty and insisted on taking it himself.
Matt Ritchie is the usual penaltytaker but he was one of the casualties of the wholesale changes Benitez had made. Mitrovic struck his penalty firmly to Eastwood’s right but the goalkeeper got down sharply and pushed the ball away.
Eleven minutes from time, Oxford put the game out of reach when Curtis Nelson headed home a corner and three minutes from time, defeat turned into humiliation for Newcastle when Martinez scored the third. The Newcastle fans streamed out but they were entitled to wonder why they had made the journey.