Habib Diarra’s first-half penalty proved decisive at the Kassam Stadium, securing the Black Cats a place in tomorrow night’s fifth-round draw.
Sunderland’s defenders had to deal with a succession of long throws as Oxford tried to get themselves back into the game, and while Le Bris’ side were unable to score the second goal that would have made the game safe despite creating a number of decent second-half chances, their clean sheet meant they were still able to progress.
“The result was the most important thing, getting through, and we were able to do that in the end,” said Le Bris, who named a strong FA Cup line-up for the second round in a row. “We expected a tough game, we had that last season when we came here, struggled and lost 2-0.
“They do some very direct play, winning second balls, and they have the ability to fight around the drop zone. That was a part of the game that was always going to be really important.
“We struggled with it a little bit in the first half, but I thought it was much better in the second half. We scored, which is always important, and I think that helped us to manage the match from that point on much better.”
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Sunderland were the better side for the vast majority of the afternoon at the Kassam Stadium, successfully dealing with difficult underfoot conditions as well as a physically-strong Oxford side.
Robin Roefs was not seriously tested despite Oxford’s Will Vaulks flinging in a succession of long throws, while at the other end, Matt Ingram made good saves from Romaine Mundle, Chemsdine Talbi and Eliezer Mayenda to prevent Sunderland from extending their lead.
“The attacking play improved as the match went on,” said Le Bris. “The game became progressively more open. They played with a back four and were well organised defensively, to be fair.
“It wasn’t easy to find the right rhythm, but it was generally okay and it is often the case that in the second half, the game is a bit more open and you can create more chances. We did that, but unfortunately we couldn’t score the second goal.”
Oxford boss, Matt Bloomfield, was frustrated that the game’s two key decisions both went against his side, with referee Thomas Kirk ruling that Christ Makosso had fouled Dennis Cirkin to concede the first-half penalty that Diarra converted before Will Lankshear was adjudged to have fouled Luke O’Nien in the second-half incident that led to the striker breaking clear and finding the net.
“I’ve been told there’s two different angles for the penalty decision, one that suggests it was and one that suggests it wasn’t,” said Bloomfield. “I had a perfect view from 50 yards away – all managers say that – and all I would say is that we’re not really getting any decisions.
“That (the penalty call) is probably one that maybe was or maybe wasn’t. Will Lankshear’s one, when he was adjudged to have committed a foul when he was through one-on-one, was another one that maybe was or maybe wasn’t. But both calls have gone against us, which is really frustrating.”