Stoke manager Mark Robins said his players must improve the speed of their attacks after they drew another blank against Oxford at the bet365 Stadium.
The Potters have drawn three of their four league games since Robins took charge at the start of January and their lack of goals is hampering their attempts to pull away from the Sky Bet Championship relegation zone.
This was the fifth time in seven home games they failed to score, with Robins hoping Friday’s loan signing of Ali Al-Hamadi from Ipswich will give them more of an attacking threat.
With the Iraqi forward watching from the stands, his new team-mates rarely looked like ending Oxford’s unbeaten league run under Gary Rowett, which now stands at eight games.
Robins said: “We had opportunities to play through them, to play around them – I thought we did pretty well in that sense.
“But it’s the final third that then lets us down a little bit, because we need to move the ball quickly in the final third and we need to run quickly in the final third.
“The more time you take on the ball in the middle of the pitch, higher up the field you get the ball taken off you and the chances go begging.
“Then when we do get there and then turn the opportunity to shoot down, that’s frustrating so there are elements of frustration, but there are certain elements you can see that it is starting to come.
“But it’s still a way off because of decision-making, because of game understanding, that’s just the way it is.
“These aren’t excuses, this is what I’m seeing, one of the failings that we’re experiencing at the moment, but you’re going through a process.”
Oxford captain Cameron Brannagan had a 13th-minute effort pushed behind by Stoke goalkeeper Viktor Johansson, whose opposite number, Jamie Cumming, denied Andrew Moran later in the first half.
The visitors had a great opportunity to score five minutes after the restart when Siriki Dembele played in Tom Bradshaw, with Johansson rushing off his line to make a good save.
Johansson then almost gifted Oxford the win with seven minutes left when he was dispossessed in trying to shepherd the ball out for a throw-in by Ole Romeny, who went on to hit the bar from a tight angle.
Oxford boss Rowett said: “I thought it was a pretty even encounter.
“Of course, when Ole pinches the ball down in the corner and the goal looks open you half think, ‘Is this the moment where we snatch it and we pinch the points?’
“But, of course, he couldn’t quite find the finish, he hit the bar, and sometimes that happens, but I wouldn’t have been coming away saying we deserved all three points.
“I think we probably had slightly more possession, probably had slightly more chances, slightly better chances, but I don’t think there was enough in it to warrant either team really feeling like they should have won the game.
“As the away team, sometimes you’re a little more happy when that happens because we’ve won four out of four at home and away from home you just want to pick your points up, so keeping our run going and a clean sheet is not to be sniffed at.”
