Oxford United produced one of the shocks of the Championship season as they beat Preston North End 3-1 at Deepdale to climb out of the relegation zone and record back-to-back league wins for the first time this campaign. Goals from Michal Helik, Spurs loanee Will Lankshear and Ciaron Brown gave Matt Bloomfield's side a deserved victory against a Preston team whose form has nosedived at the worst possible time.
Preston responded to Helik's fourth-minute opener through Milutin Osmajic's header, but that was as good as it got for the hosts. Lankshear's improvised finish early in the second half restored Oxford's lead before Brown's emphatic header put the result beyond doubt, leaving Paul Heckingbottom's men five games without a win and watching their play-off hopes continue to disappear amid jeers from the home stands.
Helik Strikes Early Before Osmajic Levels the Contest
Heckingbottom had shuffled his pack before kick-off, reverting to a back four and deploying Andrew Hughes in an unorthodox left-back role. The changes appeared to unsettle Preston, who looked disjointed from the opening whistle and were immediately put under pressure by a relegation-threatened Oxford side playing with freedom and belief.