Town began 2026 with a 2-1 victory over Oxford United at Portman Road, a result which moves the Blues above Middlesbrough and into the top two. Jaden Philogene opened the scoring in the 17th minute, before Will Lankshear levelled for the visitors on 34, but Chuba Akpom restored the lead five minutes before half-time and that proved enough to take all three points.

Town made four changes from the team which beat leaders Coventry 2-0 on Monday evening.

Leif Davis returned at left-back having been ill, Jens Cajuste was back in the centre of midfield and Philogene on the left, while Akpom started as the number nine for the first time.

Jacob Greaves, Jack Taylor, Jack Clarke and Ivan Azon dropped to the bench, while Cameron Humphreys was left out of the 20-man squad.

Oxford, who have first-team coach Craig Short in caretaker charge for the fourth time, also made four changes from the team which lost 1-0 at home to Swansea on Monday.

Sam Long, Will Vaulks, Lankshear and Filip Krastev came in for Brodie Spencer, Luke Harris and Stanley Mills, who dropped to the bench, while Nik Prelec missed out due to a groin injury.

Town started brightly, Sindre Walle Egeli hitting an early shot against a defender on the edge of the box after good work from Cajuste and Akpom.

On seven, Cajuste drove forward and fed Marcelino Nunez, who turned the ball onto Akpom on the left of the area. The on-loan Ajax man lost his footing but stabbed back to the Chilean, who also slipped, before teeing-up Walle Egeli to the right on the 18-yard line, but the Norwegian’s shot looped over.

The Blues continued to dominate and in the 11th minute Nunez brought the ball to the edge of the box before playing to Walle Egeli to his right, a defender intercepting. A shot would probably have been a better idea.

Having been in complete control from the off, Town finally went in front in the 17th minute. A flowing move down the right ended with Davis flicking into the path of Philogene on the left of the box, but Long did well to block.

Krastev sought to bring the ball out for Oxford, however, the Bulgarian was stopped in his tracks by Cajuste, who dispossessed him and played it to Philogene on the edge of the area, the former Aston Villa man cutting outside and then inside Long before hitting a trademark low shot across keeper Jamie Cumming and into the corner of the net.

The home crowd delightedly celebrated Philogene’s ninth goal of the season, all having come at Portman Road.

The visitors were forced into a change in the 23rd minute when Tyler Goodrham was helped off the field having suffered a knock, Siriki Dembele taking over.

Within a minute, the Blues should have made it 2-0. Walle Egeli crossed deep from the right, Davis headed back towards the penalty spot from the far post and Philogene lofted his volley over the bar.

Four minutes after coming on, Dembele got his name in referee Will Finnie’s book for shoving Darnell Furlong over the advertising hoarding after the pair had wrestled as they chased the ball.

As the half hour-mark passed, Long headed over from Oxford’s first corner of the afternoon.

And in the 34th minute, they equalised. Cajuste ran into trouble just inside his own half and Przemyslaw Placheta was sent away on the right. The Pole played inside to Krastev, who spun on the edge and turned it into the path of Lankshear, who shot across Christian Walton and into the net, the on-loan Tottenham striker’s sixth goal of the season.

It was a case of Town being too casual, the intensity of the performance having dropped in the spell following the break for Goodrham’s injury.

Oxford threatened again in the 38th minute, Jack Currie shooting well into the North Stand after Krastev had been held up and then forced to play a deeper pass than he would have wanted to from a promising area on the right of the area.

And two minutes later, the Blues restored their lead. Nunez turned Walle Egeli’s pass into feet on the right corner of the box into the path of Furlong, whose low cross took a deflection and Akpom got in ahead of Yellows’ skipper Michal Helik to divert the ball low into the far corner of the net for his second goal of the season and first at Portman Road.

The Blues quickly went looking for a third, Nunez and Cajuste exchanging passes and the Chilean hooking a ball over the Oxford backline but the Swede was unable to make a clean contact and Cumming claimed.

Moments later, Nunez unleashed a strike from distance which Cumming batted away to his right, then Akpom shot wide in the aftermath of a corner and Philogene shot low and wide of Cumming’s right post from distance.

In the closing moments of three additional minutes, Cedric Kipre did well to nod a deep corner from the left back across goal but no Town player was able to get onto it.

The Blues were warmly applauded off at the break having dominated from the off, scoring a well-deserved first goal through Philogene.

Their performance drifted midway through the half, however, and Oxford scored via their first serious attack, before Town stepped it up again and, having restored their lead via a confidence-boosting goal for Akpom, might have gone in further ahead at the break having created a number of late chances.

Oxford swapped Placheta for Stanley Mills, son of former Norwich defender Danny Mills, ahead of the second half.

Six minutes after the restart, the U’s had a great chance to level for a second time. Blues skipper O’Shea and Lankshear tangled as a ball was played over the top, the Tottenham loanee knocking it into the path of Brian De Keersmaecker, who had lost Cajuste and was through on goal, however, the Belgian shanked his shot well past Walton’s right post.

Following that lucky escape, Town almost made it 3-1, O’Shea heading powerfully towards goal and a defender blocking on the line.

The Blues maintained the pressure, Nunez’s 55th-minute cut-back from the right just stabbed away from Akpom.

A minute later, the former Boro man was fed in on goal and battled with both Oxford centre-halves to get to the ball, but Ciaron Brown threw himself to the deck, much to the annoyance of the Town striker and after a brief dust-up, the pair were booked.

On 58, Davis crossed from the left and Nunez took a touch to turn before hitting a shot which Cumming turned over.

A minute later, Nunez shot deep into the North Stand following a corner, then in the 62nd minute the Yellows’ keeper was forced into his best stop of the afternoon by the Chile international.

After Akpom had been fouled by Helik, who was yellow-carded, Nunez curled the free-kick to the top corner, Cumming somehow getting across and up to his left to flip it past the post.

Town made their first changes in the 68th minute, Sindre Walle and Nunez making way for one-time U’s loanee Wes Burns, making his first appearance at home since his return from injury, and Clarke.

Soon after the changes, with Clarke playing as the 10, Azor Matusiwa struck a shot from the edge which deflected wide off Vaulks.

Oxford switched Krastev for Luke Harris in the 73rd minute with the game having gone a little flat.

Town had a good chance to make it 3-1 a minute later when Cajuste battled well just inside the Oxford half and Akpom was played in on goal, however, Brown took it off the frontman as he was looking to find space to shoot.

As the game moved into its final quarter of an hour, Vaulks was booked for his reaction to having been penalised for a foul on Philogene on the Blues’ left, moments before Town swapped Akpom and Cajuste for Azon and Taylor.

Town found themselves under a bit of pressure as the match crossed the 80-minute mark mark, to some degree their own making having been unable to keep the ball or threaten further.

On 84 Town swapped Philogene for Ashley Young, who went into central midfield with Taylor the number 10 and Clarke on the left, while Oxford switched danger man Lankshear for Mark Harris.

The Blues began to get the game under control again and in the 88th minute, O’Shea headed under the bar and into Cumming’s arms from a Clarke cross from the left.

In the final minute of three added on, Town put themselves under unnecessary pressure, visitors’ keeper Cumming making his way up for a corner, but Furlong headed away and referee Will Finnie blew his whistle moments later to confirm the Blues’ fourth home win on the bounce.

Town really ought to have had the game put to bed earlier on, but a combination of some excellent Cumming saves, the one from Nunez’s free-kick the pick, and not overly clinical finishing kept the visitors in the game.

Oxford had one big chance early in the half but on this occasion were unable to frustrate the Blues, who start 2026 by breaking into the top six, going ahead of Middlesbrough, who were beaten 1-0 at Derby, by a point. Leaders Coventry’s 1-1 draw at Charlton means the gap to the top is now down to eight points.

The Blues are next in action at Portsmouth, who were hammered 5-0 at Bristol City this afternoon, on Sunday.

Town: Walton, Furlong, O’Shea (c), Kipre, Davis, Matusiwa, Cajuste (Taylor 76), Walle Egeli (Burns 68), Nunez (Clarke 68), Philogene (Young 84), Akpom (Azon 76). Unused: Palmer, Greaves, Johnson, McAteer.

Oxford: Cumming, Long, Helik, Brown, Currie, De Keersmaecker, Vaulks, Placheta (Mills 46), Krastev (L Harris 73), Goodrham (Dembele 23), Lankshear (M Harris 84). Unused: Ingram, Spencer, Leigh, Romeny, Bradshaw. Referee: Will Finnie (Luton). Att: 28,199.

Photo: Matchday Images