Oxford United manager Gary Rowett has thrown a surprising twist into the post-match debate after his side’s 2-2 draw with Leicester City, brushing aside the praise Leicester boss Marti Cifuentes heaped on the Foxes’ “character” and instead pointing to a single player who, in his view, rescued the visitors.
Cifuentes lauded his 10-man squad for their resilience after Aaron Ramsey’s red card, insisting Leicester were the more threatening side in the second half.
But Rowett, frustrated at letting two points slip, made it clear there was one quiet influence who truly swung the momentum—and it wasn’t Ricardo Pereira or Abdul Fatawu.
“They changed formation, tried to play through lots of bodies in the middle, and I think Harry Winks coming on for them and Matty Phillips going off for us made a massive difference to the game and we just lost our way a bit,” Rowett admitted.
That candid reflection revealed the Oxford boss believes his own substitution opened the door for Leicester’s fightback. Winks, introduced after the break, dictated the tempo and linked play superbly, allowing the Foxes to wrest control of midfield despite being a man down.
Rowett didn’t shy away from holding himself accountable for the turning point. His decision to replace the influential Matty Phillips was, in hindsight, the “one mistake” that gifted Leicester a route back into the contest.
The U’s had twice led through Will Lankshear and a Boubakary Soumare own goal, only to be pegged back by Jordan Ayew and a classy equaliser from Ricardo Pereira. Yet for all the talk of Pereira’s strike or Fatawu’s relentless running, Rowett believes the game truly shifted the moment Winks stepped onto the pitch.
By highlighting Winks’ impact, Rowett effectively dismissed Cifuentes’ narrative of collective grit, instead crediting the former Tottenham midfielder as the unsung hero who salvaged a point for the Foxes—and left Oxford lamenting what might have been.