Cobblers stun U's late on
Substitute Brett Williams grabbed a dramatic winner as Northampton beat play-off chasing Oxford 2-1 in a keenly-contested derby.
Luke Guttridge gave Cobblers the lead inside the first minute. Adebayo Akinfenwa's deft pass picked out Guttridge after he ghosted into the box and he beat Ryan Clarke with a superb chip from 15 yards.
Boosted by the goal, Northampton dominated the opening exchanges with a Michael Jacobs volley being turned away by Clarke before the Oxford goalkeeper twice denied Akinfenwa, the second a crucial reflex save to keep his side in it.
But it took just five minutes after the restart for Oxford to get back on level terms. Neal Kitson kept out a point-blank header from Michael Duberry but Cobblers failed to recover and Cristian Montano found the bottom corner with a low drive from the edge of the box.
Adam Chapman had a great opportunity to put Oxford in front in the 59th minute after he was tripped in the box by Blair Adams. But for the second game in succession Kitson pulled off a great save from Chapman's ensuing spot-kick.
Oxford continued to have the better of the second half while Northampton struggled to recapture their first-half form and rarely troubled Clarke.
Duberry missed a good opportunity from close range late on, firing over from Montano's low cross. But Williams popped up in the final minute to win possession and cut inside to beat Clarke with a low drive from the edge of the area.
A hotly-contested derby, which threatened to boil over at times, ended with Duberry being dismissed for his second caution in injury time.
Source: PA
Source: PA