Aaron Ramsey was in a generous mood after Oxford United's third win of the League One season, and you could forgive him the satisfaction. Three goals in the final quarter of an hour against Burton Albion were the kind of clinical finish that coaches spend the week on the training pitch trying to manufacture. On Saturday, his players simply produced it.

Late flurry settles it

The match had been tight enough for most of the afternoon, with Burton giving Oxford the sort of test that a bottom-half side at the Kassam Stadium will always provide. Then, with 76 minutes on the clock, Siriki Dembele broke the deadlock. Louie Sibley and Gatlin O'Donkor then added further goals in the closing stages to make the scoreline an accurate reflection of Oxford's second-half dominance, if not entirely of the match as a whole.

Ramsey, speaking to BBC Radio Oxford afterwards, was careful to credit the nature of the performance as much as the result. "It was a different test but one we had to stand up to, so full credit to the boys," he said. "They had a resilience and relentlessness to keep creating opportunities and take the game to Burton, especially in the second half, which was really encouraging for us."

Backing up Leicester

Context matters here. Oxford had beaten Leicester City 4-0 the previous Saturday, a result that generated plenty of attention, not all of it measured. The danger after a high-profile victory is always the next fixture: a home match against a side you are expected to beat, with the crowd expecting more of the same spectacle. Ramsey identified that challenge publicly before kick-off and, to their credit, his squad navigated it.

"A really important aspect for me off the back of the result at Leicester was to back that result up in the next game and we managed to do that," Ramsey said. "It was a really pleasing performance but also one we can learn from to continue to get better."

That last phrase is the kind of thing managers say so routinely it is easy to dismiss. Ramsey, though, has been consistent in framing each result as a staging post rather than a destination, and the table currently supports that measured tone.

Fifth place, a game in hand

The three points lift Oxford to fifth in the League One standings with 10 points from five matches. Crucially, they have played one game fewer than most of their rivals, Reading being the only other club at the same stage. That game in hand is not a trophy, and Ramsey will be the first to say so, but it does mean Oxford are operating with a margin their positioning does not yet fully reflect.

Five matches in, the third tier is still settling. Form lines shift quickly at this level, and Burton, who themselves gave Oxford a genuine contest for the best part of an hour, will feel they are better than the scoreline suggests. The Pirelli Stadium outfit have their own battles to navigate this season.

For Oxford, though, Saturday offered something genuinely useful: evidence that they can grind out a win when the football is not at its best, and that the squad depth Ramsey has been assembling is beginning to earn its keep. Dembele's goal, a week after his own public declaration of self-belief following a difficult spell, was the kind of contribution that reinforces a dressing room.

Whether Oxford can sustain this into the weeks ahead, when the fixture list tightens and the injuries and suspensions that always accompany a League One campaign begin to accumulate, is the proper question. For now, five games, 10 points, one game in hand and a manager who sounds like he knows exactly what he is building. It is an encouraging start, without being anything more than that.

Frequently asked

What was the score when Oxford United beat Burton Albion?
Oxford United beat Burton Albion 3-0, with all three goals coming in the final quarter of the match. Siriki Dembele scored first on 76 minutes, with Louie Sibley and Gatlin O'Donkor adding further goals late on.
Where are Oxford United in the League One table?
After the Burton win, Oxford United sit fifth in League One with 10 points from five matches. They also have a game in hand on most of the clubs around them.
What did Aaron Ramsey say about Oxford United's performance against Burton?
Ramsey praised his players for their "resilience and relentlessness", highlighting their second-half display and the importance of backing up the previous week's result against Leicester City.