Leyton Orient beat Oxford United 2-0 in the League Cup Round of 128 on Friday. The match finished at 14:00 with the home side taking all three points. A clean sheet and two goals, though the performance didn't always look so tidy.
The first half stayed cagey, with only two bookings to mark the passing of time. F. Stevens picked up a yellow card at the 27-minute mark, and A. Emakhu followed at 36. Neither side created much, and to be fair, the tempo never really built.
By then, Orient had taken control. D. Mitchell broke the deadlock in the 85th minute, and I. El Mizouni added a second two minutes later. The game opened up late, with several substitutions coming on before the goals. Dembele, Dobra, Akhamrich, McDonnell, Boniface, Obiero and Spencer all entered the action.
The statistics tell a familiar story — possession doesn't always convert to chances. Orient had 51 per cent of the ball and 93 attacks to Oxford's 55, but their expected goals of 0.78 compared to 0.38 suggests they created more. Shots accuracy sat at 25 per cent for the hosts, and three shots on target produced two goals. Not bad efficiency when the chances came.
Orient have not won since their 2-1 victory over Anderlecht on Monday, so this result ends a brief lean spell. Oxford lost 2-0 to Ipswich in their last outing.