THEY say a week is a long time in football, but even three days can make a huge difference in this condensed 2020/21 season.

All the talk since Saturday's defeat at Hull City had been about how Oxford United find the cutting edge to end a winless record against Sky Bet League One's top sides.

The U's certainly discovered it against fifth-placed Doncaster Rovers, who have been challenging for the play-offs all season.

Read the match report here

Head coach Karl Robinson spoke about taking the handbrake off and United pressed high from kick-off, with Cameron Brannagan almost playing as a No 10 behind Matty Taylor to give the striker that vital support.

The risks associated with that style were evident early on, as Doncaster found the space between the lines to threaten the U's goal.

But from the moment Taylor scored the opener there was only one winner.

That goal was exactly what United need to do more of: Brandon Barker isolating the full-back so he can best utilise his pace and the midfielders, in this case Brannagan, getting into goalscoring positions.

It meant that when the No 8's shot was blocked, Taylor was on hand to finish.

The striker scored from close-range again, before the U's aggression directly led to a goal as Barker won the ball on the edge of the Doncaster box to set up Mide Shodipo.

Player ratings: Who was our man of the match?

The visitors were poor and full of errors, but take nothing away from United's display.

Robinson was quick to point out that the U's cannot maintain that intensity in every game, especially with players already feeling the effects of a gruelling campaign.

But last night United showed they possess the ruthlessness that will be key in the final 12 matches of the season.