10/05 - 20:00
League One’s two form teams met in the division’s first play-off match of the season, with Blackpool travelling to the Kassam, hoping to down an Oxford team full of confidence.
The Action: The best early chance fell to Oxford, with James Henry laid off for a decent effort, only to see it blocked by teammate Matty Taylor, before Blackpool secured the first crucial blow.
Scrambling home after the Us failed to deal with an excellent Blackpool free kick, Oliver Turton gave his side the lead in the 23rd minute, before Oxford were in all sorts of trouble, again collapsing defensively allowing Ellis Simms to break into their box and blast in three minutes later.
A visually seething Karl Robinson was unable to make an impact due to a touchline ban, and Oxford still struggled to get in the game in the second half, and with 15 minutes to play their League One future was as good as confirmed.
Slipped in by the excellent Jerry Yates, Simms had his second on the counter, slotting past Jack Stevens with ease to as good as send Blackpool to Wembley.
The Big Picture: Oxford’s season looks over after the loss, and so might be Karl Robinson’s time at the club. The Us will need to rebuild after successive play-off failures, while Blackpool’s pursuit of Neil Critchley from Liverpool’s youth team is looking like a masterstroke.
Man of the Match: An obvious choice but 20-year-old Simms continued a sublime 2021, and looks destined for the big time.
Expected Goals: Oxford (1.57) 0-3 (1.77) Blackpool
Stat of the Day: Since his senior football debut in January, Ellis Simms has scored the most goals of any U21 in England's top four tiers with 10 goals.
🎙️ "It's all about that man Simms!"
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) May 18, 2021
🔥🔥🔥 Simms has a second and Blackpool a third, it's a long way back for Oxford now...
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0-3 | ||
Ollie Turton 23' Ellis Simms 26' 74' |
