CAMERON Brannagan was the scourge of Peterborough United for the second time in four days to send Oxford United into the second round of the Carabao Cup.

The midfielder, who netted the only goal of Saturday’s Sky Bet League One clash, settled the first-round tie with an 88th-minute free-kick.

It decided a game where a much-changed U’s side had not got close to the heights they scaled at the weekend.

They were also disrupted by what looked a serious injury to Malachi Napa early in the first half.

But Posh also had injury trouble and finished the game with ten men, with midfielder Serhat Tasdemir forced off after the visitors had used their three substitutions.

United made the most of the extra man to strike late through Brannagan and continue their good start to the season, setting up a home tie with Millwall in the next round.

The teamsheet showed a dozen changes across the two XIs from Saturday’s clash.

United made seven, with Anthony Forde and Elliott Moore making their full debuts as Napa was asked to lead the line as a makeshift centre forward.

Posh looked like a side with a point to prove after the weekend, Ivan Toney in particular.

The striker had a goal ruled out for offside in the ninth minute and quickly volleyed over from the edge of the box with another chance.

United were still not picking him up properly on when George Boyd teed him up for a rising drive which Simon Eastwood parried to safety.

The visitors were also more physical than at the weekend and Napa was on the receiving end in the 17th minute.

Having held off Frankie Kent he was caught by a forceful challenge by Jason Naismith.

After treatment the 20-year-old, starting only his fourth game for the club, stood up but was clearly in a lot of pain and had to lie down, before a stretcher appeared.

Following a five-minute stoppage he was carried off, to be replaced by Ben Woodburn.

It disrupted the game, which never quite rediscovered its rhythm for the rest of the half.

United popped the ball around sharply in midfield, but perhaps unsurprisingly given Forde and Rob Hall’s lack of match fitness they found it difficult to make headway in the final third.

It took until the 43rd minute for the hosts to muster any sort of effort – Sam Long seeing a long-range effort saved.

Brannagan fired over a minute later after Woodburn’s classy pass freed Forde, but United will have welcomed the interval to regroup.

Woodburn tested Christy Pym from an acute angle after getting away with a nudge on Mark Beevers shortly after the restart.

But United rode their luck on the hour, when Rob Dickie diverted Tasdemir’s low cross on to Eastwood’s far post and away to safety.

The second half drifted along without much quality, but the hosts were given fresh impetus 11 minutes from time.

Just after Peterborough had made their final substitutions, Tasdemir picked up an injury to leave the visitors with ten men.

And the home side cashed in, with Jamie Hanson brought down a yard outside the box, from where Brannagan smashed a low shot just inside the far post.

United still needed a fantastic save from Eastwood in stoppage-time to deny Posh at a corner, but they held on to avoid a shoot-out and claim a repeat of Saturday's scoreline.

Oxford Utd (4-2-3-1): Eastwood, Long, Dickie, Moore, Ruffels, Hanson, Brannagan, Hall (Henry 78), Sykes, Forde (Berkoe 78), Napa (Woodburn 22).

Unused subs: Stevens, Mousinho, Gorrin, Lofthouse.

Booked: Long.

Peterborough Utd (4-1-2-1-2): Pym, Naismith (Mason 70), Beevers, Kent, Blake-Tracy, Reed (Ward 75), Knight, Boyd (Burrows 75), Tasdemir, Toney, Eisa.

Unused subs: O’Malley, Butler, Kanu, Barker.

Booked: Kent, Toney, Mason.

Referee: Ollie Yates (Staffordshire).

Attendance: 2,798 (238 visitors).