It was a tale of two halves as Milton Keynes Dons held on to rescue a point against Oxford United at Stadium MK.
The Dons had a dominant showing in the first half, and likely should have been rewarded with a couple of goals, but the visitors' strong second-half showing pulled them back into it and Mark Jackson's side managed to escape with a point.
The Dons started the match fairly evenly with their opponents but were able to get the first sniff at goal with Jonathan Leko smashing a shot from an awkward angle after receiving the ball inside Oxford's area.
Dawson Devoy was heavily involved in the attacking third through the first 10 minutes of the match, linking up well with Mo Eisa on two occasions, trying to find a way past Simon Eastwood in goal.
Leko attempted to break away with his speed early in the first half, but Bradon Fleming pulled his shirt and prevented the January signing from progressing forward, finding himself in the referee's book and gifting the Dons a free kick just inside Oxford's half.
The winger was able to use his speed minutes later as he ran forward, picking out Tennai Watson on the right. Watson sent a cross into the box but it wasn't able to reach Eisa, sailing away from its mark.
Paris Maghoma then tried to send a ball into the box after picking up a pass from Sullay Kaikai, but his effort also sailed over the box and narrowly went out of play.
Tyler Smith then had a shot saved along the ground by Jamie Cumming as the visitors registered their first shot on target.
Leko forced Eastwood into making a save down low after another period of positive play from the Dons, with Daniel Harvie sending a perfectly placed, curling pass out to the right for Leko to cut inside on.
Moments later, Kaikai sent a clean ball across the face of goal but there were no Dons players near enough to pounce on it.
It did not matter, however, as Kaikai took the ball on himself a minute later, cutting inside from the left flank and curled a shot perfectly into the bottom corner of the goal, with Eastwood outstretched but unable to reach it, putting the Dons 1-0 ahead on 25 minutes played.
The Dons were extremely fortunate moments after opening the scoring as Cumming allowed a routine pass back to roll under his boot and trickle towards the open Dons goal mouth. Fortunately, he raced back quick enough to clear the ball away, with an Oxford attacker pressing down.
Mark Jackson's side threatened to extend their lead in the 35th minute as Watson almost picked out open attackers inside the box, but the ball was unable to be guided goalwards and bounced away from danger at the back post.
Moments later and Eisa had two bites of the ball inside the box, only to see Oxford defenders throw themselves in the way and clear it away after the second effort.
After Zak Jules cleared a cross away from the Dons box, Oxford had a long-range chance but saw their effort sail wide of the mark.
The visitors continued to fight their way back into the game, winning a couple of corners and forcing the Dons into some tight defensive areas as time ran down. The Dons held on, however, as the half-time whistle was blown with the team leading 1-0 at the break.
Both sides came out evenly through the opening five minutes of the restart. Leko helped bring things to life with an excellent pass to Eisa running towards goal, with the striker having a shot blocked inside the area.
The visitors' momentum continued to build, however, and Cumming was forced into making a crucial palm save at the near post to keep things level.
The Dons tried to find their way out of danger, with Oxford continuing to pile on the pressure, but their end product wasn't there and they struggled to find their way into their opponents' box through the hour mark.
The visitors' pressure paid off as they equalised in the 72nd minute through Lewis Bate. The goal was identical to Kaikai's in the first half, with Bate cutting inside and smashing a strong effort at goal, with Cumming getting a hand to it but unable to keep it out, seeing the ball hit the back of the net.
Oxford almost immediately took the lead after Yanic Wildschut lofted a shot onto the roof of the net, having been left unmarked near the back post.
Wildschut again tested the Dons, forcing Cumming into palming a volley over from inside the area. The Dons keeper was then made to grab a long-range effort moments later, keeping the score level.
An awkward pass back by Devoy allowed Oxford into a one-on-one situation with Cumming, with the Dons keeper managing to close the gap just enough to force a shot over the bar.
The full-time whistle brought things to a close, much to the relief of the Dons, who had been on the back foot throughout the second 45 minutes of play. The result sees the Dons remain one point above the relegation zone, with much still to play for in their remaining fixtures.
MK Dons Line-Up: Cumming, Watson (76' Lawrence), Tucker, Jules, Harvie, McEachran (66' Johnson), Maghoma (81' Grant), Devoy, Leko (66' Dean), Kaikai, Eisa (81' Grigg)
