Oxford United strengthened their Championship survival bid with a 2-0 win over Watford, thanks to a first-half finish from Myles Peart-Harris and a stoppage-time strike from substitute Mark Harris. The victory extended Oxford's unbeaten run at the Kassam Stadium to five matches and moved Matt Bloomfield's side to within a point of safety, even though Portsmouth's late winner at Middlesbrough meant Oxford remained in 22nd place.
For Watford, the defeat deepened an increasingly flat end to the season. Ed Still's side were seventh after winning at Bristol City on 27 February, but they are now 12th and nine points outside the play-off places with four games left after failing to win for a sixth time in seven matches. In a contest that often lacked creative spark, Oxford were the side who fashioned the clearer openings and handled the key moments better.
A cagey opening turns on a set-piece mistake
The early stages were tense rather than fluent, with both sides struggling to impose rhythm. Watford produced the first moment of real penetration in the 17th minute when Jeremy Petris showed strength and skill to get around the back of Oxford left-back Brodie Spencer, but his pullback was dealt with well and the opening passed.