Oxford head coach Liam Manning praised his players for digging in despite not being at their best after their 3-0 win over Exeter lifted them up to second place in League One.

Ruben Rodrigues headed in Kyle Edwards’ cross in the eighth minute before Cameron Brannagan sealed victory with two late penalties following fouls on Rodrigues and then Josh Murphy by City captain Will Aimson.

Manning said: “I was pleased most of all with the clean sheet.

“I’m delighted with the players.

“On a day when we didn’t manage the game like we’d want to, we showed a different side, in being able to block and being
able to defend well.

“Sometimes there’s a little bit of snobbery in football around what it should look like and what people want to see. Across the course of a season you’re never always going to play at the highest level you can.

“I’ve just said to the players, it’s a nice feeling to not necessarily be as we were in other games but win. Against Cambridge and Port Vale we played well but ended up losing the game.

“You have different experiences with the group and manage it in a different way. We could have controlled the ball better, but we showed a great togetherness and a great resilience.

“And the physicality – I thought the physical output was outstanding, which is credit to them and the staff for the work that’s done every day. You can only put in a shift like that if you’re in peak condition and train properly.

“I’m proud of the players because I thought they really showed what they are about as a group and as people.

“I feel the group are growing. The lads have such a respect for each other.

“For me it felt like quite a big moment in terms of finding a different way to win which in the past we maybe haven’t done. That shows the progress in the game.

“I don’t think Exeter created loads of chances. The keeper’s made a couple of good saves, but for all the ball they had, a lot of it was in areas where we controlled the game.

“Analysing the chances that were created in the game, it was definitely us who had the greater threat.

“There isn’t a player in League One I would trust more to take penalties than Cameron Brannagan. I feel so confident when he steps up and his record speaks for itself.

“And Ruben got his first goal for us today – it’s important to get goals from different areas.”

Yanic Wildschut’s fierce angled shot which came back off a post was as close as Exeter came and manager Gary Caldwell felt his side lacked a cutting edge.

He said: “I’m disappointed with the result.

“We got off to a poor start and gave away a really bad goal, which made it difficult.

“We controlled the rest of the first half without creating too many opportunities, although Yanic had a great chance, but it was a brilliant save off the post.

“Second half we were in total control, but we didn’t penetrate enough or create enough chances.

“The longer the game went on, we left ourselves vulnerable to counter-attacks which Oxford punished us with.

“It’s a game we need to learn from, but overall I didn’t think it was a 3-0 game. There were moments that went against us and we have to dust ourselves down and go again.

“The team were excellent in training for this match, but we were playing without a recognised number nine, which gave us a problem.

“That was probably why we looked a bit toothless at times.

“I can’t fault the team’s effort – we just didn’t have the understanding or intensity in the final third to make things happen and turn it into goals.

“At 1-0 down, if we could have scored, we were very much in the ascendancy at that point.

“We left ourselves open to counter-attacks and Oxford scored two penalties from those situations.”

Liam Manning says he will not be getting carried away after Oxford moved top of Sky Bet League One after beating Charlton 2-1.

It was a fourth straight win for the U’s and owed much to two-goal Tyler Goodrham, who opened the scoring in the 10th minute and struck the winner five minutes from time.

Charlton had bossed the start of the second half and equalised through Alfie May’s second goal of the season in the 63rd minute, but the Addicks have now lost five on the spin in all competitions.

Manning said: “I won’t be looking at the league table. For me it’s just about keeping on chipping away and picking up points.

“We will just reflect on what we did well, what we can do better and it’s all about building on this for the next game.

“It was a cliched game of two halves. We controlled the first half, with the ball and out of possession.

“We got in some really good areas and had some really good chances and I thought we could have been more clinical.

“I would have liked us, while we had the dominance there, to have made the most of it and try to put the game to bed.

“But you’re never going to dominate a game for 90 minutes and in the second half they came out a little more aggressive, on the front foot and pressed a bit more.

“They got the goal, but despite their possession they didn’t create too many chances and James Beadle didn’t have too many saves to make.

“What we showed was a good response and a willingness to bounce back.

“Yes, the performance we can dissect, but ultimately we did enough to get three points.”

Goodrham, 20, also scored in Oxford’s previous game, a 3-1 win at Barnsley.

“Tyler’s fearless, his energy and bravery are tremendous,” Manning said. “It’s now about the consistency, which he’s starting to show, and we’ll be pushing him to produce.

“Knowing him as well as I do now, he’ll keep demanding of himself.

“He’s in a terrific spot where he’s consistently playing games and is on form at the minute.

“It’s an exciting time for young players here, and we’ve shown we’re not afraid to throw in young players.”

Charlton manager Dean Holden admitted: “It’s a tough one to take.

“We started excellently and had the best chance of the game in the first few minutes for Alfie May.

“Then we conceded poorly on 10 minutes and started getting pulled around a lot and were ragged and that wasn’t acceptable.

“That’s why I made changes and changed the shape and we were much better in the second half.

“I was really pleased with the second half – we came out of the traps quickly and took the game to them and deservedly equalised.

“But we were caught by a sucker punch, trying to find the winner, they break from their box and seven seconds later we’re 2-1 down.

“My players gave everything they’ve got. We deserved more from the game but didn’t get it. It’s a similar story every week.

“We have to get back to work and turn results around. It’s about regrouping quickly.

“For me it’s about staying positive…the first half wasn’t acceptable but the second half is something to build on.

“I’m absolutely certain we’ll turn this around.”

Mark Harris’ double gave Oxford a 2-1 win at Derby.

Harris scored in each half before Martyn Waghorn replied late on for the home side.

Oxford had the first shot on target in the 17th minute with Marcus Browne forcing Joe Wildsmith into a diving save after good build-up play.

The visitors deservedly went ahead in the 32nd minute when Curtis Nelson gave the ball away and Cameron Brannagan played in Harris to fire into the top-right corner.

Derby put Oxford under pressure early in the second half but almost conceded again in the 64th minute when Browne set up Billy Bodin whose low shot brought a great save from Wildsmith.

Oxford’s pace and quick passing was rewarded in the 72nd minute when another slick move was converted by Harris low to Wildsmith’s left.

Derby responded in the 87th minute after Oxford failed to clear a long throw and Waghorn scored from 15 yards but it was not enough to save them from a second home League One defeat.

Mark Harris’ first goal for his new club gave Oxford a 1-0 Sky Bet League One win over new boys Carlisle at the Kassam Stadium.

Carlisle had started brightly, with Callum Guy firing a right-footed shot just wide in the sixth minute.

Oxford were giving the ball away a lot in the early exchanges and struggled to create clear openings against the compact visitors.

The U’s eventually tested Carlisle keeper Tomas Holy in stoppage-time at the end of the first-half with a 20-yard effort from midfielder Cameron Brannagan.

Oxford improved after the break, with Harris racing through on the left, but delayed his shot too long and the chance went.

Ruben Rodrigues’ influence continued to grow and Oxford’s pressure told with 14 minutes left when substitute Tyler Goodrham fed Harris on the left – and the summer signing from Cardiff slotted past keeper Holy from 16 yards.

Goodrham also fired wide from a late chance and Holy saved from Brannagan.

Summer signing Jason Knight scored twice as Bristol City thrashed Oxford 5-1 in an entertaining Carabao Cup first-round clash at Ashton Gate.

Oxford’s Billy Bodin cancelled out Harry Cornick’s opener, but Knight’s brace either side of the interval put the hosts in charge before Nahki Wells and Kal Naismith added further goals.

The Championship side took a 15th-minute lead when debutant left-back Haydon Roberts combined well with Anis Mehmeti on the left and crossed low for Cornick to shoot home from close range.

But Oxford had created several chances before then and deservedly equalised on the half hour through former Bristol Rovers player Bodin’s looping far post header from a Fin Stevens cross.

City were in front again five minutes later ex-Derby County midfielder Knight fired past James Beadle from 12 yards after Mehmeti’s cross was only half cleared.

Knight came up with a repeat performance two minutes after the break, netting with another low drive from a Roberts cross.

Three minutes later, Wells broke clear on to a defensive error and rounded Beadle before slotting the fourth.

Naismith volleyed the fifth seconds after going on as a 61st-minute substitute before another home switch gave a debut to 17-year-old attacker Ephraim Yeboah.

Mark Bonner felt Cambridge hit a high standard as they opened their Sky Bet League One campaign with a win.

Cambridge, who produced a great escape to survive in the third tier at the end of last season, made a perfect start to the new campaign with a 2-0 victory over Oxford.

Jack Lankester fired them ahead before a goal on debut from the impressive Gassan Ahadme saw them in control at the break and they limited Oxford to just one Stan Mills gilt-edged chance in the second period.

“I thought we were excellent; really good and really good value for the result, and I thought the performance was very strong,” Bonner said.

“The first 30 minutes was the absolute blueprint for us. I thought we were outstanding. Then second half we struggled to get out of our half a little bit but I never felt under huge pressure.

“It’s a really good result and a really good start. A clean sheet and three points obviously is important to us, but the performance level as well is really important.

“There were some really good performances out there today, so it’s a good day for us.

“I thought we started the game very well, played with some good intent with the ball, played forward but not rushed and had good control in certain moments of the game.”

Saikou Janneh, who started only once in League One last season, played a crucial role in both Cambridge goals, and he came in for particular praise.

“I thought he was brilliant, really good. He’s really built up over pre-season, exactly what we want in a wide player, showed himself to be more reliable.

“He’s getting better and better without the ball so I’m really pleased with him.”

Liam Manning felt that his Oxford side had not hit the required levels.

“The result obviously is hugely disappointing,” he said. “I just said to the players that I actually think it could be one of the best things for us, madly.

“That wake-up call, if we make sure we respond and we take the lessons from it. I think it could be a positive lesson for us.

“The game went exactly how we knew it would. How we set up, the game plan was exactly what we thought they’d do. When you have the volume of the ball that we do, nine corner kicks to two. We didn’t create a huge amount.

“Without quality in the top third, what you do is you come away 0-0. You dominate the game that way and give them nothing.

“I know we’re not the finished article, there’s a long way to go. We have to take the experience, the lesson, and make sure we don’t have it again.”

Cambridge started their Sky Bet League One campaign with a 2-0 victory over Oxford.

The hosts moved ahead after 15 minutes when Saikou Janneh’s shot was spilled by goalkeeper James Beadle, allowing Jack Lankester to fire home the rebound.

Janneh played a major role in Cambridge’s second goal 13 minutes later, producing an exhilarating run down the left touchline before providing a perfect cross which was nodded in from close range by debutant forward Gassan Ahadme.

The momentum could have been turned in the final seconds of the half when Josh McEachran played a short free-kick to Cameron Brannagan, but his effort from outside the box was pushed away by Jack Stevens.

Janneh headed a James Brophy cross straight at Beadle, while at the other end Brannagan’s fierce shot went only narrowly wide on the hour.

Stevens produced a big save 14 minutes from the end, keeping out a Stan Mills header from point-blank range, to help Mark Bonner’s side make it five years unbeaten on the opening day of the season.