Oxford boss Karl Robinson was a relieved and happy man after seeing his side produce a “rugged” performance in sneaking past Burton 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at the Pirelli Stadium.
An 85th-minute goal from substitute Nathan Holland looked to have put United through in normal time until John Mousinho came on as a substitute and diverted home for an own goal in the dying seconds of stoppage-time.
The former Burton captain then redeemed himself by confidently firing home the decisive spot-kick to send Oxford through.
“The performance looked rugged at times tonight. We didn’t look as free-flowing and we looked a bit ordinary at times but I expected that type of performance tonight,” said Robinson as he revealed how his squad had been affected by Covid-19 isolations.
“We made eight changes and Burton only made one and you could see how they knew what they were doing having beaten one of the fancied teams in Shrewsbury at the weekend. So taking that into account against our team, who have probably only played together for the second time in three weeks, that is incredible. It is a tremendous testament to my players.”
Burton boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was left frustrated after injuries saw him field winger Omari Patrick up front, with his side unable to finish a number of good chances.
“Omari is doing a really good job but he is a winger playing as a striker,” he said. “Did we deserve to win? I think yes. We had the better chances and made them defend and it was tough for them.
“We got a lot of corners and first headers but we need to create more in the final third but it is a process and we want to get a couple of strikers back as quickly as we can.”