Ben Knight's fourth goal of the season earned Cambridge United a valuable away point at the Kassam Stadium. The 1-1 draw with Oxford United on Saturday extends the U's unbeaten run to four matches and keeps them fifth in the League One table.
Neil Harris's side had to come from behind after Siriki Dembele gave the hosts an early lead. Knight struck just before the hour mark to level the scores and secure a share of the spoils in front of 10,474 spectators.
Harris made two changes to his starting lineup, handing a debut to Sam Curtis and bringing Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu into the side. The game was disrupted early when an injury to Jamie McDonnell forced Oxford into a substitution after just eight minutes. Dembele then opened the scoring in the 14th minute, finishing from a Mark Harris assist.
Cambridge United grew into the contest and found their equaliser in the 56th minute. Dominic Ball provided the assist for Knight, who netted his fourth of the campaign. The visitors had to withstand late pressure but held firm for a point that maintains their strong start. The result leaves them on 12 points from seven games, just three points behind leaders Bradford.
Referee Thomas Kirk booked five Cambridge players: Curtis, Knight, Fejiri Okenabirhie, James Heffernan and Kelland Watts. Oxford's only caution went to Cameron Brannagan.
Manager Neil Harris felt his team deserved their half-time advantage. "We were good value for our advantage at the break," he told reporters after the match.
The point continues a solid run of form for Cambridge United, whose recent sequence reads two wins, two draws and one loss. They face another test next Saturday when seventh-placed AFC Wimbledon visit the Abbey Stadium. Check the upcoming fixtures for full details of that match and the rest of the schedule.
More detail at Cambridge United
The Oxford United club confirmed the attendance as 10,474, with 888 travelling Cambridge supporters. Their report detailed that Siriki Dembele's opening goal came after 15 minutes, a curling finish following a high press. Oxford head coach Aaron Ramsey made one change from the previous win, starting Jack Currie. The U's, who sit fifth in League One with 12 points from seven games, were punished for not capitalising on their pressure. Ben Knight's 57th-minute equaliser came after Peter Kioso had blocked an initial effort.
