Oxford earned a maiden win under recently-appointed boss Matt Bloomfield as the U’s claimed a 2-1 victory away at Leicester on the club’s first trip to the King Power Stadium.
The U’s led after just four minutes when defender Sam Long stabbed home from close range following a long throw before Mark Harris doubled the away side’s lead on 71 minutes after a rapid counter attack left the Foxes exposed at the back.
Leicester halved the deficit six minutes from time when Abdul Fatawu curled a shot into the left corner of the goal from 10 yards out but the U’s held on to claim a first away win in the league since October.
The U’s stretched their unbeaten run to three games since Bloomfield’s appointment as Oxford boss while Leicester are winless in their last three league matches.
Oxford made a dream start and took the lead after just four minutes when Myles Peart-Harris hurled a long throw into the box from the right which Ciaron Brown flicked on at the near post and Long poked home from four yards out.
Leicester’s first real opening came when Oxford failed to fully clear their lines at a corner as Stephy Mavididi controlled a dropping ball before he curled a shot over the top from just outside the penalty area.
A similar chance fell to Hamza Choudhury four minutes before the break as the ball rolled kindly into the midfielder’s path only for the Leicester man to sky the ball well over the crossbar.
Oxford had the ball in the net a second time shortly before half-time when Peart-Harris headed in a corner from the left only for the referee to blow for a foul by Harris on Leicester goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk.
The visitors made a bright start to the second half as Stanley Mills saw his effort at the back post blocked behind by Ricardo Pereira after Stolarczyk failed to deal with a cross from the right.
Oxford went close again moments later when Peart-Harris latched onto Jack Currie’s header back into the box only to shoot across the face of goal from the right-hand side of the penalty area.
The U’s doubled their lead after 71 minutes when the visitors broke from a Leicester corner and substitute Brian De Keersmaecker played Harris clean through on goal as the striker coolly rounded Stolarczyk and finished into an empty net after running from inside his own half.
Leicester reduced the deficit after 84 minutes as Fatawu found the left corner of the goal from Luke Thomas’ pass following a set-piece but the Foxes could not carve out another opening in the remaining time.
