Football Feb 03, 2026

Leicester City 1-2 Oxford United: Pressure ramps up on Marti Cifuentes as U's win

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By Admin
Sports Journalist
Leicester City 1-2 Oxford United: Pressure ramps up on Marti Cifuentes as U's win

Oxford earned a maiden win under recently-appointed boss Matt Bloomfield as the U's claimed a 2-1 victory away at Leicester, heaping the pressure on under fire Foxes boss Marti Cifuentes.

The U's led after just four minutes when defender Sam Long stabbed home from close range following a long throw before Mark Harris doubled the away side's lead on 71 minutes after a rapid counter attack left the Foxes exposed at the back.

Leicester halved the deficit six minutes from time when Abdul Fatawu curled a shot into the left corner of the goal from 10 yards out but the U's held on to claim a first away win in the league since October.

The U's stretched their unbeaten run to three games since Bloomfield's appointment as Oxford boss while Leicester are winless in their last three league matches.

Oxford made a dream start and took the lead after just four minutes when Myles Peart-Harris hurled a long throw into the box from the right which Ciaron Brown flicked on at the near post and Long poked home from four yards out.

Leicester's first real opening came when Oxford failed to fully clear their lines at a corner as Stephy Mavididi controlled a dropping ball before he curled a shot over the top from just outside the penalty area.

A similar chance fell to Hamza Choudhury four minutes before the break as the ball rolled kindly into the midfielder's path only for the Leicester man to sky the ball well over the crossbar.

Oxford had the ball in the net a second time shortly before half-time when Peart-Harris headed in a corner from the left only for the referee to blow for a foul by Harris on Leicester goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk.

The visitors made a bright start to the second half as Stanley Mills saw his effort at the back post blocked behind by Ricardo Pereira after Stolarczyk failed to deal with a cross from the right.

Oxford went close again moments later when Peart-Harris latched onto Jack Currie's header back into the box only to shoot across the face of goal from the right-hand side of the penalty area.

The U's doubled their lead after 71 minutes when the visitors broke from a Leicester corner and substitute Brian De Keersmaecker played Harris clean through on goal as the striker coolly rounded Stolarczyk and finished into an empty net after running from inside his own half.

Leicester reduced the deficit after 84 minutes as Fatawu found the left corner of the goal from Luke Thomas' pass following a set-piece but the Foxes could not carve out another opening in the remaining time.

Leicester's Marti Cifuentes:

"I'm always [confident of turning form around]. It's not a pleasant situation as a manager or as a person because you want to do well for the fans.

"It's sad they feel this way but I know football is about results. At the moment there are a number of fans that are not happy with a lot of things.

"We are working relentlessly every day to try to improve the situation and if something always makes me self-confident it is that at every club I've been at I've achieved the target.

"The target here is quite clear and I will not stop working towards it. We try to make sure we push the players to commit and accept the situation and have the mindset to be better every day because that's my mindset.

"Under pressure, human beings react in different ways. Sometimes you grow through the pain and the difficult moments. The only way is to work harder."

Oxford's Matt Bloomfield:

"It's pure elation. There's a lot of tough moments being a manager and there's lots of times when you have to be resilient and keep fighting.

"It's all worthwhile when you see your team perform and you get to share a moment with the staff, the players and the supporters. It reminds you of why you do it.

"For us to perform to that level, the lads have to take all the praise. I'm so fortunate to be the head coach and the man at the front and I love and relish the responsibility. I love being part of a group.

"We didn't want to come here and just sit back and wait to learn our fate. We had to try and impose ourselves on the game and we played into the psychology of the game.

"When you have moments like this, against such good opposition, to share with special people, it means a lot."

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