Oxford United clinched their first Championship win of the season with a 3-1 victory at Bristol City, breaking their duck and climbing out of the relegation zone while handing Gerhard Struber's side a first league defeat under his management. Nik Prelec, Przemyslaw Placheta and a late Greg Leigh touch on a Brian De Keersmaecker free-kick delivered the goals for the visitors, with Anis Mehmeti's spectacular strike proving only a consolation for the Robins.
High-riding City, unchanged from their 3-0 win at Sheffield Wednesday, knew a victory could send them second in the table, but an afternoon that began in bright Ashton Gate sunshine unravelled around their struggles to deal with Oxford's dead-ball threat. All three Oxford goals stemmed from set-pieces and, despite spells of pressure either side of Mehmeti's thunderous reply, the hosts were repeatedly punished for lapses in both penalty areas.
For Oxford and head coach Gary Rowett, the result capped a steady upturn after three straight defeats were followed by draws against Coventry and Leicester, while a crowd of 23,440 saw City pay the price for missed chances and uncharacteristic looseness at the back against opponents who played with clarity and conviction.
Dead-ball dominance punishes City's lapses