Wigan Athletic lost 2-1 to Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium after a slow first-half display, though Head Coach Gary Caldwell felt his side could have won the game following a much-improved second-half performance.
Michał Helik put Oxford ahead before the break after Wigan struggled with the hosts' aggressive pressing. Christian Saydee equalised for Latics in the second half, but Fraser Murray's red card minutes later proved costly. Oxford scored again four minutes after Murray's dismissal to secure the win.
Caldwell's Assessment
Caldwell told Latics TV he was disappointed with his side's first-half showing. "I thought in the first half we were poor," he said. "I thought they were really aggressive on the press, made poor decisions, and we couldn't get out."
Latics struggled to escape Oxford's intensity in the opening 20 minutes but gradually found their rhythm, building play through Charlie Gray and Brad Burrowes. Caldwell believed Wigan should have reached half-time level, describing Oxford's opening goal as "a really poor goal from our point of view from a set piece."
The Head Coach praised his side's second-half display. "In the second half, I thought we were excellent. We started to understand how we could get in, we pressed with more aggression, and we won the ball back high up the pitch."
Caldwell expressed frustration at key decisions he felt went against his team. "From there, I think we could have won the game at 1-1 until the decision that went against us, but then I feel a lot of decisions went against us."