Bristol Street Motors Trophy: Oxford enjoy big win over Chelsea Under-21s
- Published
Sonny Perkins' 15th-minute opener set Oxford on course for victory over Chelsea Under-21s
Oxford shrugged off losing manager Liam Manning hours before kick-off to hammer Chelsea Under-21s 5-0 and go through to the knockout stage of the EFL Trophy.
Craig Short oversaw the game as Oxford's interim head coach after Manning was unveiled at Bristol City.
Josh Murphy scored twice, with Sonny Perkins, Jordan Thorniley and Mark Harris also on target at the Kassam.
Leo Snowden, at 15 years and 157 days old, came off the bench to become the youngest player in Oxford's history.
"To be given the opportunity to be on the bench was amazing and to be able to get on for 10 minutes, even though I was huffing and puffing, was a great experience and I'm looking forward to having more opportunities in the future," Snowden told BBC Radio Oxford after the game
"The main aim is in four-five years time to be able do it on a regular basis, so it's great to break the record in the first place but I want to get more than one game in the next couple of years."
Elsewhere in the competition, renamed as the Bristol Street Motors Trophy, Crawley earned a place in the knockout round with a 3-2 win against Aston Villa Under-21s.
Jack Roles gave Crawley an early lead before Kamarai Simon-Swyer scored a second, but Kobei Moore got Villa back into the game just before the break and Rico Richards equalised shortly into the second half.
Five minutes later, Roles' second restored Crawley's lead which proved enough for a first victory in eight matches in all competitions and to win group J.
West Ham's youngsters sealed their side's place in the next round with a 4-0 success at Cheltenham.
Oliver Scarles, Divin Mubama and George Earthy all scored before half-time and Callum Marshall added a fourth after the break.
Fulham ensured at least four Premier League youth sides will play in the knockout stage after Aaron Bradley Loupalo-Bi's goal just before half-time earned them a 1-0 win at Gillingham and guaranteed passage from group M.
The group was won by Portsmouth, who defeated Leyton Orient 2-1 despite playing 70 minutes with 10 men after Sean Raggett was sent off.
Pompey took the lead through Christian Saydee, Joe Pigott equalised after half-time but Abu Kamara scored the winner in the final quarter.
Doncaster are among the other sides to qualify after beating Burton 2-1 for a third-straight victory in the trophy.
Modou Faal gave them a first-half lead before Kyle Hurst scored after the break to complete a perfect group stage, with Beryly Lubala getting a late consolation for the Brewers.
Wrexham produced a second-half fightback to beat Port Vale 2-1 and secure qualification from group B.
Joshua Thomas put Vale ahead at the Racecourse Ground but Paul Mullin and James McClean came off the bench to turn the game around for the home side.
Wimbledon are also through as two goals from Josh Davison inside 16 minutes were enough to beat Crystal Palace Under-21s 2-0 and move top of group K.
Fleetwood will play in the knockout stage as well after a 4-0 stroll over Leicester Under-21s.
Ryan Broom scored twice before the break and Will Johnson and Ryan Graydon sealed an emphatic win in the second-half for the League One strugglers.
Forest Green will join them after a 0-0 draw at home to Brighton Under-21s was enough to seal a top two finish in group I, despite losing the penalty shoot-out 4-2.
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- Published31 October 2023
