Oxford United 0-3 Stoke City: Nzonzi ends wait for Potters goal

This was only Stoke’s ninth visit to Oxford for a league fixture, but they had lost six and drawn two before heading to the Kassam Stadium on a rain-swept night.

Oxford should have been ahead inside the first minute as Brian de Keersmaecker recycled the ball from a cleared corner and plonked his cross onto the head of the unmarked Greg Leigh at the far post, the defender mistiming his effort badly to send it past the post with the goal wide open.

Stoke struck quickly on 10 minutes as Sorba Thomas led a counter-attack and sent Million Manhoef running at the defence with options left and right.

He chose left, to Divin Mubama, and when his shot was parried by goalkeeper Jamie Cumming, Baker was on hand to tap in a simple goal.

Baker was the provider as Nzonzi, who won the Europa League with Sevilla and the World Cup with France after leaving the Potters in 2015, only to return from Iranian football in the summer, had his moment.

The midfielder whipped a corner kick to the near post and Nzonzi steered a classy sidefooted finish into the net to double the lead.

Placheta squandered a great opportunity to get the home side back in the contest before half-time, skewing his shot wide when a cross from the right evaded two defenders and fell kindly for him.

Baker wrapped up the points just three minutes after the break, again getting on the end of things after another swift counter.

This time it was right-back Junior Tchamadeu who stretched the Us’ defencebefore cutting the ball back for Baker and when his right-footed shot was blocked, it bounced back to his left foot for a simple sidefoot finish.

With the points in the bag, Stoke – who are second – eased down with one eye on the visit of Frank Lampard’s table-toppers at the weekend.