Liam Manning says he will not be getting carried away after Oxford moved top of Sky Bet League One after beating Charlton 2-1.
It was a fourth straight win for the U’s and owed much to two-goal Tyler Goodrham, who opened the scoring in the 10th minute and struck the winner five minutes from time.
Charlton had bossed the start of the second half and equalised through Alfie May’s second goal of the season in the 63rd minute, but the Addicks have now lost five on the spin in all competitions.
Manning said: “I won’t be looking at the league table. For me it’s just about keeping on chipping away and picking up points.
“We will just reflect on what we did well, what we can do better and it’s all about building on this for the next game.
“It was a cliched game of two halves. We controlled the first half, with the ball and out of possession.
“We got in some really good areas and had some really good chances and I thought we could have been more clinical.
“I would have liked us, while we had the dominance there, to have made the most of it and try to put the game to bed.
“But you’re never going to dominate a game for 90 minutes and in the second half they came out a little more aggressive, on the front foot and pressed a bit more.
“They got the goal, but despite their possession they didn’t create too many chances and James Beadle didn’t have too many saves to make.
“What we showed was a good response and a willingness to bounce back.
“Yes, the performance we can dissect, but ultimately we did enough to get three points.”
Goodrham, 20, also scored in Oxford’s previous game, a 3-1 win at Barnsley.
“Tyler’s fearless, his energy and bravery are tremendous,” Manning said. “It’s now about the consistency, which he’s starting to show, and we’ll be pushing him to produce.
“Knowing him as well as I do now, he’ll keep demanding of himself.
“He’s in a terrific spot where he’s consistently playing games and is on form at the minute.
“It’s an exciting time for young players here, and we’ve shown we’re not afraid to throw in young players.”
Charlton manager Dean Holden admitted: “It’s a tough one to take.
“We started excellently and had the best chance of the game in the first few minutes for Alfie May.
“Then we conceded poorly on 10 minutes and started getting pulled around a lot and were ragged and that wasn’t acceptable.
“That’s why I made changes and changed the shape and we were much better in the second half.
“I was really pleased with the second half – we came out of the traps quickly and took the game to them and deservedly equalised.
“But we were caught by a sucker punch, trying to find the winner, they break from their box and seven seconds later we’re 2-1 down.
“My players gave everything they’ve got. We deserved more from the game but didn’t get it. It’s a similar story every week.
“We have to get back to work and turn results around. It’s about regrouping quickly.
“For me it’s about staying positive…the first half wasn’t acceptable but the second half is something to build on.
“I’m absolutely certain we’ll turn this around.”
'It's a shame' - Alonso confirms Leverkusen's Boniface out with thigh injury
Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso confirmed that Victor Boniface will be sidelined for some time after picking up a thigh injury on international duty with Nigeria.
Boniface, who has scored eight goals in 15 appearances in all competitions this season, was replaced late on in the Super Eagles' 2-1 defeat to Rwanda on Monday.
It is another blow for Leverkusen, who have managed 17 points from 10 games so far this season, the worst start to a league campaign in 12 years by a defending champion.
Only Omar Marmoush and Harry Kane (both 11) have scored more goals in the league than Boniface this term (six).
Alonso revealed that the 23-year-old will miss Saturday's Bundesliga encounter against Heidenheim and their Champions League tie against RB Salzburg next week.
"We will have to see how long he will be out. It is a shame," Alonso told a press conference.
"He has a thigh injury. For tomorrow, for Salzburg and maybe a bit longer. We will have to wait and see.
"It is too early to say but we hope he can still play this year. We have to see with the recovery and improvement but it is not a matter of six or eight weeks."
Leverkusen have dropped points in six Bundesliga games already this season (D5, L1), as often as they did during the entirety of their 2023-24 title-winning campaign (D6).
They come into this weekend's fixture against Heidenheim on a three-game winless run in the Bundesliga (D3), the first time they have gone this long without a victory since between April and May 2023 (five games).
Leverkusen sit fourth in the Bundesliga, already nine points behind leaders Bayern Munich as the busy festive schedule kickstarts on Saturday.
Alonso's side have eight games in just under a month, including a DFB-Pokal round of 16 clash with Bayern at the start of December.
"Eight games in four weeks. It is nothing new for us," Alonso said. "An intense phase is coming up for us and it starts tomorrow.
"We have clear goals for the Bundesliga, the Champions League and the German Cup."
Object thrown at City striker 'Bunny' Shaw in Champions League win over Hammarby sparks UEFA investigation
UEFA has opened an investigation after Manchester City striker Khadija Shaw was hit by an object during their Women’s Champions League win against Swedish side Hammarby on Thursday.
The towering Jamaican striker scored both goals in City’s 2-1 win at the Stockholm Arena to see her side through to the quarterfinal stage.
Her animated celebration in front of the home fans after her first goal saw the 27-year-old being booked, with replays also showing an object seemingly thrown her way from the stands.
“Proceedings have been opened against Hammarby IF for throwing of objects (Article 16(2)(b) of the Disciplinary Regulations),” UEFA said in a statement.
“Manchester City player Khadija Shaw received a yellow card following her goal presentation for unsporting conduct,” the statement added.
Following the game, City captain Alex Greenwood chided match broadcaster DAZN for failing to mention the incident in a social media post.
The post on X, external said Shaw “antagonised” the home fans and received “stick” from them.
Greenwood replied, "Correction. Travel to Stockholm, score a big goal. Celebrates her goal. Gets objects thrown at her.”
Girona handed huge injury boosts ahead of Espanyol clash
Michel says Girona are in better physical shape ahead of their home clash against Espanyol after being handed numerous injury boosts.
Last season's surprise package, Girona, have had a mixed start to the campaign and sit 10th in the table but registered back-to-back league wins before the international break.
They have struggled with injuries to key players this season, but Viktor Tsygankov, Jhon Solis, Arnaut Danjuma, Yaser Asprilla, Ladislav Krejci, Ivan Martin, and Alejandro Frances are all available for the game.
Michel hopes that having a wider group of players available will help them to extend their winning run.
"We are better physically. Only Yangel Herrera, [Gabriel] Misehouy, Portu and Abel Ruiz are out, and the rest are in the squad" Michel told reporters.
"Each case will be different in terms of giving us minutes, but they are ready to help us.
"Now we have replacements in each position, and it gives me peace of mind. We need everyone ready and in the next two to three weeks, we will be ready to play at 100%."
Michel said Herrera, who has scored twice and registered one assist in LaLiga this term, was not expected to return until the new year.
"He is a player who makes the difference in terms of duels, arrivals into the opponent's area and possession. He is vital, but we will not have him until 2025," he added.
Girona have 18 points after 13 games and will face an Espanyol side sitting in the relegation zone. The visitors are yet to win away this season, losing five of six games on the road, but Michel has won just one of his four LaLiga matches against Espanyol (D2 L1).
The Girona head coach said Manolo Gonzalez's team cannot be taken lightly despite their underwhelming performances in away games.
Espanyol are yet to win away this season, losing five of six games on the road.
"We faced each other in pre-season and we drew. It will be difficult since they are a very good team in transition with players like [Javi] Puado or Jofre [Carreras] with speed and depth," Michel said.
"It's always a different game. It's a derby, and it's good to play them. There is a rivalry that must be sporting and, for our people and the players, it is a different game."
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