Report | Oxford United 0 Swansea City 1
Swansea City rounded off 2025 on a winning note as Zan Vipotnik’s 12th goal of the season secured a fourth victory in six games and a first three-point haul on their travels since September.
The striker’s thumping header proved the difference between the sides, although the scoreline does not fully reflect the control Swansea had for large parts of the game.
Jisung Eom, Melker Widell and Goncalo Franco had chances to make the margin of victory greater, but this was ultimately a win underpinned by the manner in which the visitors did the ugly parts of the contest as their work-rate without the ball forced the home side into countless mistakes.
It means they will start 2026 with positive momentum under head coach Vitor Matos, as reflected by the reception players and staff got from a sold-out away end at the Kassam Stadium.
They had shown three changes from the Boxing Day loss at Coventry City as Jay Fulton, Widell and Zeidane Inoussa came into the team.
Franco and Ronald dropped to the bench, while Liam Cullen was absent through injury.
The hosts, buoyed by their Boxing Day win over Southampton, starting aggressively and the visitors had to block shots from Tyler Goodrham and Luke Harris after the assistant had missed a clear offside against Nik Prelec in the build-up.
Swansea responded, Inoussa just unable to bring down an Ethan Galbraith pass at the far post, before the Swede looked set to turn in a tremendous Josh Tymon cross, only for the ball to ricochet off a defender and away from his path.
But when Tymon next delivered with pinpoint accuracy it ended with Swansea opening the scoring. Vipotnik rising unchallenged to plant a firm header into the back of the net.
Oxford looked to respond, but Fulton read the play excellently to cut out a Stan Mills pull-back in the Swansea area.
The Swans nearly doubled their lead when Jisung Eom drove infield away from defenders and unleashed a firm drive that Jamie Cumming parried straight back to him, with the Korean putting the follow-up header over the bar.
The Swans looked the more assured of the two teams, with their pressing harrying Oxford into mistakes and allowed them to take the sting out of proceedings.
Eom fired over from a Vipotnik pass at the end of one sweeper counter attack before Oxford had a couple of moments of encouragement when a long throw was not initially cleared by the visitors, who eventually manage to scramble it away.
The Swans retained the lead at the interval and Eom quickly had them on the front foot early in the second half, lovely skill driving them forward before he just misplaced his eventual pass to Fulton on the edge of the area.
Widell then had a goalbound shot blocked after a Tymon corner had been half-cleared, while good covering from the hosts prevented Vipotnik sweeping an effort on goal from Fulton’s astute pullback.
Mills blazed over at the other end after the Swans had made a mess of an opportunity to get in down the left side.
But Swansea continued to look the more likely to find a goal, with the energy of Widell, Eom and Stamenic causing Oxford all manner of problems.
The visitors wasted a tremendous chance to double their lead with 24 minutes to play as more strong pressing work saw Eom unselfishly lay the ball off for Franco eight yards out, but the midfielder dragged his effort well wide.
They were nearly punished as Will Lankshear threatened to go through on goal at the other end, but Ben Cabango recovered tremendously well to snuff out the danger.
Substitute Ronald volleyed tamely into the gloves of Cumming as Swansea soon got back on the attack, while Goodrham ruffled the side-netting with a free-kick in the closing stages.
Cameron Burgess saw his header into the ground palmed away by Cumming as Matos saw his side claim a professional and assured away win to end the calendar year.
Swansea City: Lawrence Vigouroux; Ethan Galbraith (Josh Key 87), Ben Cabango (captain), Cameron Burgess, Josh Tymon; Marko Stamenic, Jay Fulton (Goncalo Franco 61); Zeidane Inoussa (Ronald 61), Melker Widell (Ishe Samuel-Smith 87), Jisung Eom (Malick Yalcouye 76); Zan Vipotnik.
Unused Substitutes: Andy Fisher, Bobby Wales, Kaelan Casey, Sam Parker.
Oxford United: Jamie Cumming, Ciaron Brown, Michal Helik (captain), Przemyslaw Placheta (Siriki Dembele 66), Luke Harris (Filip Krastev 55), Brian De Keersmaecker, Brodie Spencer, Nik Prelec (Will Lankshear 66), Stanley Mills (Ole Romenij 76), Tyler Goodrham, Jack Currie.
Unused Substitutes: Matt Ingram, Sam Long, Will Vaulks, Mark Harris, Greg Leigh.
Referee: Adam Herczeg
Attendance: 11,413