Freddie Ladapo, Wes Burns and Conor Chaplin were on target as Town comfortably beat Oxford United 3-0 at Portman Road, their first victory over the U’s since February 1999. Ladapo followed up Chaplin’s volley in the 39th minute to give the Blues the lead, then six minutes later Burns hooked home a corner to make it 2-0 and Chaplin made it three with nine minutes left to inflict Oxford’s first league defeat by more than one goal this season.
Lee Evans, Marcus Harness, Janoi Donacien and Luke Woolfenden all returned to the Blues’ starting line-up.
Midfielder Evans, who came on as a sub at Wycombe a week ago, made his first start since suffering a knee injury against Derby at the end of October, while Harness, who warmed up ahead of the game at Adams Park, joined Conor Chaplin as one of the number 10s having undergone knee surgery.
At the back, Donacien and Woolfenden returned having missed the Chairboys fixture with ankle and adductor problems respectively.
Town started positively and in the opening minute Ladapo was almost presented with a chance when a defender tried to skip past him in the area but the ball cannoned off the striker’s shin and through to visiting keeper Ed McGinty.
However, Oxford weren’t far away from going in front in the eighth minute after Evans lost possession on the Blues’ right, not the first time Town had given the ball away in the early stages. Eventually it was played inside to Djavan Anderson, who stuck a shot from just outside the area which flew just wide of Christian Walton’s left post and hit the stanchion behind the goal.
On 10, Billy Bodin hit another effort from distance which Walton batted away down to his left with Leif Davis first to the loose ball.
Ladapo looped a deflected left-wing cross into McGinty’s arms in the 12th minute as the Blues began to get the upper hand.
A minute later, there were boos from the home supporters in the 28,072 crowd and just under 400 short of the club’s highest Boxing Day attendance - Portman Road’s third biggest of the season - as Marcus Browne took to the turf for treatment, Blues fans remembering the frequency with with Oxford players had required the physio during last year’s fixture. In reference to that game, U’s fans sarcastically began to sing ‘Boring, boring Oxford’.
However, Browne proved to have a genuine problem and eventually walked around the perimeter to the tunnel with James Henry, a Town target during Paul Jewell’s time as boss, replacing him.
On 17, there was another stoppage, Sam Long requiring treatment after colliding with Cameron Burgess at a corner. Much to Chaplin’s frustration, possession was given to Oxford for the restart despite Town having been on the ball when the game had been halted.
Three minutes later, the Blues were caught two-v-two on the break but Matty Taylor shot into the side-netting when he might well have done better.
Town were more in control and in the 26th minute Harness played a clever ball into the path of Chaplin on the right of the box but the former Barnsley man was just unable to reach it.
Two minutes later, Davis played in Harness on the left of the area but the ex-Pompey man’s cross was turned behind.
From the resultant corner, Davis’s kick found Ladapo but the striker’s header was too close to McGinty, who claimed. A foot or so either side of the keeper and the Blues would have been in front.
In 33, Woolfenden did well to block from Henry on the edge of the box following a rare Oxford break.
Two minutes later, Taylor was shown the game’s first yellow card for a wild lunge on Chaplin just outside the Blues’ area, a challenge which some referees might have viewed worthy of more severe censure.
On 37 Davis headed a Wes Burns cross from the right into McGinty’s arms with Town starting to build some momentum and two minutes later, they went in front.
Harness crossed from the right, Chaplin superbly volleyed goalwards and McGinty saved but couldn’t hold on and Ladapo turned his 10th goal of the season into the net from close range.
Town went looking for a second with Burns cutting in from the right and shooting over within a minute of the restart, then Harness seeing an effort from the left of the box deflect behind.
Just before the fourth official indicated an additional five minutes, Town went 2-0 in front.
Davis sent a corner to the near post from the right and Burns smashed a brilliant strike across goal and into the corner of the net, the Welshman’s fourth goal of the campaign.
Having gone two goals in front, the Blues maintained the pressure in injury time and went looking for a third, Harness cutting in from the left and hitting a shot which McGinty saved. Burns was first to the loose ball and turned an effort towards goal but McGinty did well to get himself in the way and turn it behind. Following the flag-kick, Evans struck a shot from distance which was blocked.
Referee Will Finnie’s half-time whistle was greeted with applause by Town fans following a pulsating end to the half in which the Blues grabbed a two-goal lead.
Town hadn’t had it all their own way but gradually imposed themselves upon Oxford and began to create more and more chances.
Chaplin’s volley deserved a goal but Ladapo reacted sharply to tuck home the rebound, then Burns’s brilliant second from a set piece evidently worked on on the training ground added what could be a vital second goal.
Oxford, who having gone two behind needed to take the game to Town, made a change ahead of the second half, ex-Norwich winger Josh Murphy taking over from Anderson.
Within a minute of the restart, a corner from the right was half-cleared to Evans on the edge of the box but the Welshman was caught in two minds whether to volley or half-volley and eventually chose the latter but sent the ball well over.
On 48, Chaplin sent Burns away with a superb touch and pass with the wideman finding Ladapo, who worked space before hitting a shot which McGinty saved but again didn’t hold, however, this time without Town profiting.
Three minutes later, Oxford sub Henry was booked for pulling back Davis as the former Leeds man burst away on the left.
Town should have made it three in the 53rd minute when, following a long spell of possession with the ball moved from right to left and back again, Burns sent over a cross to Harness which the ex-Pompey man struck powerfully over the bar when he will have felt he should have scored.
The Blues were dominating and looking for openings to add to their lead with the visitors having shown no signs of getting back into the match.
On 58, Harness cleverly sent Davis away on the left and the full-back sent over a cross which Burns stooped to head goalwards but was unable to get enough on. The one-time Oxford loanee claimed a penalty but referee Finnie showed no interest.
The visitors made a double change just before the hour, Gatlin O’Donkor replacing Taylor and Yanic Wildschut taking over from earlier sub Henry.
Town continued to dominate and on 66 Burns flicked on a Davis corner from the left but the ball was cleared from the edge of the six-yard box. Moments later, Harness, who had been among the Blues’ best performers on his return, was swapped for Sone Aluko.
There was a scare for Town in the 69th minute when a cross from the right looped well beyond the far post and Walton and Donacien collided as they both went for the ball, which fell to Bodin, who shot wide off the Town keeper. Walton claimed the resultant corner confidently.
On 71, Kayden Jackson took over from Ladapo with the exiting striker warmly applauded off the field.
Two minutes later, Town felt they should have been awarded a penalty when Burns looked to be fouled as he turned away from a defender inside the area but again referee Finnie wasn’t interested.
The Blues had been promising a third goal all half and it finally came in the 81st minute. Aluko took the ball out of a tight area on the right and found Chaplin in space inside the box and the forward slammed his 11th goal of the season past McGinty.
Having established their three-goal lead, Town swapped Burns, Chaplin and Evans for Kane Vincent-Young, Kyle Edwards and Cameron Humphreys with all three of the withdrawn players receiving loud ovations as they made their way off.
Despite the game having already been settled, the Blues continued to look for goals, Aluko seeing a shot blocked after good work from Edwards on the left just prior to the board indicating five minutes of added on time. Moments later, Vincent-Young was booked for a foul.
Moments before the end, Aluko tried to play in Vincent-Young on the right of the box but McGinty was off his line quickly. However, the keeper cleared against one of his defenders with the ball fortunately falling safely. Moments later the final whistle was met by cheers from the large Blues support.
While it took Town most of the first half to get up to speed, in the end it was a comfortable victory for Kieran McKenna’s men with the game never in any doubt after the two goals at the end of the first half.
The Blues had chances to add to their lead prior to top score Chaplin’s strike in the second with Oxford, who went into the match unbeaten in 10 in all competitions, never showing any signs of staging a comeback.
Town, who are next in action at Portsmouth on Thursday evening, remain second with Plymouth winning 1-0 at Cheltenham.
Town: Walton, Donacien, Woolfenden, Burgess, Burns (Vincent-Young 83), Evans (Humphreys 83), Morsy (c), Davis, Chaplin (Edwards 83), Harness (Aluko 66), Ladapo (Jackson 71). Unused: Hladky, Edmundson.
Oxford: McGinty, Long, Moore, Findlay, Brown, McGuane, Brannagan, Anderson (Murphy 46), Browne (Henry 15 (Wildschut 59)), Bodin, Taylor (O’Donkor 59). Unused: Mousinho, Seddon, Goodrham. Referee: Will Finnie (Luton). Att: 28,072 (Oxford: 550).