Report | Argyle 1-1 Oxford United
Miron Muslic’s era as Argyle boss began with a 1-1 draw with Oxford United at Home Park.
It was a third straight league draw for Argyle, wrapped around Saturday’s win over Brentford in the Emirates FA Cup, making the unbeaten run now four games.
Oxford nicked a lead just before half-time, when Will Vaulks smashed home a terrific goal, but Argyle responded, and levelled via Rami Al Hajj’s third Argyle goal, his second in consecutive home games.
The inclusion of Tymoteusz Puchacz at left wing-back, for his first Argyle start, meant a shift for Bali Mumba to the right-hand side, beside the back three of Julio Pleguezuelo, Victor Palsson and Brendan Galloway. Behind them, in the absence of Conor Hazard, was Daniel Grimshaw.
In midfield, Darko Gyabi returned to partner Adam Randell, with Rami Al Hajj joining Morgan Whittaker in ‘number 10’ support roles to Michael Baidoo, up front.
The first serious chance of the game came for Argyle on nine minutes, and it was a good one. Randell picked the ball just inside his own half and, having spotted Puchacz in space on on the left, fizzed a ball into the Pole’s path like he was stunning a five iron off the first tee. Puchacz advanced and used Baidoo’s near-post run as a blind, choosing instead to strike a low pass into the path of Al Hajj.
Al Hajj did well to adjust his feet and shoot first time, but Oxford goalkeeper Jamie Cumming saved well, and Mumba could not quite get his follow-up on target.
Five minutes later, Al Hajj curled one wide from 20 yards, but in between those times Oxford, without creating a specific chance to speak of, had pressed high on the Pilgrims when Argyle had the ball at the back, and caused flutters on a couple of occasions.
A Gyabi advance, which Al Hajj took over, ended in the Swede teeing up Whittaker, who was unusually wasteful in pulling his beautifully-set opportunity well wide.
All this was before the midway point of the first half, and essentially nothing else worth noting occurred in the rest of the half until the very end of it, when Oxford scored.
It had turned into an odd sort of game. Not a bad one, and one that Argyle seemed largely in control of, without battering down the Oxford door. Then, suddenly, the visitors were in front.
A ball into Oxford’s left channel was knocked inside, finding Mark Harris in space. As Argyle players filtered over to cover, Vaulks was in space outside the area. After the ball was teed back to him, Vaulks thundered an unstoppable shot that shuddered the net and shook the Green Army, who probably felt little danger to that point.
With something to protect, Oxford looked a little more confident at the start of the second period and might have gone further clear had Greg Leigh connected with a left-wing cross.
Argyle replied with a slick move that hinged on a clever Al Hajj flick to Baidoo, followed by a Puchacz cross which was begging to be finished, and would have been had Ciaron Brown not reached out a leg and got there before Whittaker could pounce.
In Tymoteusz Puchacz’s first interview with Argyle TV last week, he suggested that he would provide plenty of assists. Well, he made a fine start to adhering to his pledge, by sending in a cross that led to Argyle’s equaliser. There was plenty for Al Hajj to do, too, even though the cross was perfectly directed to him. Planting his feet to anchor himself, Al Hajj let the ball come on to him and guided a glancing header into the corner of the net.
For much of the rest of the game, it felt like each team wanted to go and win it…but also, knowing their situation – Oxford as the away team, Argyle having been behind – could see the potential point as valuable.
Miron Muslic clearly believed that Argyle ought to try to press on and attempt to win it, bringing on winger Ibrahim Cissoko for central defender Palsson with just under ten minutes to go, but Oxford sat deeper, refused to let Argyle through, and even could have won it in injury time with two Siriki Demeble snapshots, about four minutes apart, that Grimshaw saved really well.
Argyle: 31 Daniel Grimshaw, 2 Bali Mumba, 5 Julio Pleguezuelo, 10 Morgan Whittaker, 17 Tymoteusz Puchacz (3 Nathanael Ogbeta, 89) , 18 Darko Gyabi (4 Jordan Houghton, 89), 20 Adam Randell (capt), 22 Brendan Galloway, 28 Rami Al Hajj (14 Michael Obafemi, 75), 30 Michael Baidoo, 44 Victor Palsson (7 Ibrahim Cissoko, 85). Substitutes: 33 Zak Baker (gk), 11 Callum Wright, 15 Mustapha Bundu, 29 Matty Sorinola, 34 Caleb Roberts.
Goals: Al Hajj 64
Booked: Gyabi 78
Oxford: 1 Jamie Cumming, 2 Sam Long (34 Jordan Thorniley, 43), 3 Ciaron Brown, 4 Will Vaulks, 7 Przemyslaw Placheta (23 Siriki Dembele, 68) 8 Cameron Brannigan (capt), 9 Mark Harris (44 Dane Scarlett, 67), 10 Matt Phillips (24 Hidde ter Avest, 77), 20 Ruben Rodrigues (18 Alex Matos, 77), 22 Greg Leigh, 30 Peter Kioso. Substitutes: 21 Matt Ingram (gk), 6 Josh McEachran, 14 Louie Sibley, 15 Idris El Mizouni.
Goals: Vaulks 44
Booked: Brown 61
Attendance: 15,933 (665 away)
Referee: Sam Allison
