Milton Keynes Dons struck late to claim a 4-3 victory over local rivals Northampton Town, seeing them go unbeaten for five consecutive League One matches.
The Cobblers got off to a rapid start, getting the game underway and earning a free-kick within a minute of the start.
The ball was whipped in and found an open Fraser Horsfall, who volleyed inside the penalty area beyond the reach of Ander Fisher, giving the visitors the opening goal after less than two minutes of play.
The Dons battled back into the game, but it took over 10 minutes for them to truly threaten goalkeeper Jonathan Mitchell, but when they did, it bore fruit.
After a free kick bounced around the area, the ball found Andrew Surman on the edge of the box, with the former Premier League midfielder smashing a perfect volley beyond the reach of the Northampton goalkeeper, bring the sides level at 1-1.
The visitors were almost gifted a perfect opportunity to score, with Fisher losing the ball and seeing Sam Hoskins with a wide-open goal. Fortunately, the ball trickled wide, saving the goalkeeper's blushes.
Northampton made life difficult for the Dons through the middle of the park, closing off passing lanes and removing space, forcing the home side to play wider.
The Dons caused some headaches in the attacking third with some nice passing moves from Will Grigg and Scott Fraser, who tried to feed Zak Jules into the box, seeing the through pass intercepted and cleared away from danger.
Russell Martin's men persisted, however, and after a near-miss with a Northampton shot hitting the post, they took a 2-1 lead after 34 minutes.
Joe Mason played a neat pass into Grigg, who cut inside on his right foot and sent a curling shot beyond the reach of Mitchell, seeing the on-loan striker score his first goal in his second spell at Stadium MK.
The Dons, spurred on by their two goals, entered the half with the lead intact, confidence growing and a more threatening presence in the attacking third after starting poorly.
The visitors came out for the second half aggressively, with substitute, and former Dons man, Ryan Watson's low-driven strike beating Fisher and bringing the sides level once again just seconds after the restart.
The Dons were lucky not to concede a third when a loose clearance by Fisher found Watson, who charged forward before passing wide to Mark Marshall. Fortunately, Fisher managed to recover and blocked Marshall's shot, keeping the visitors at bay after his initial error.
Martin's side tried to take advantage of some of Northampton's own errors, forcing a throw-in and later seeing Matt O'Riley force a spilled save from Mitchell after a couple of poorly executed goal kick routines.
The Dons began to struggle to get much of anything throughout the second half, with Northampton continuing to pressure the home side's defence.
Eventually, the Cobblers took a 3-2 lead thanks to a Peter Kioso header from a free kick inside the Dons' half, with Fisher unable to get enough to it as it flew into the top corner.
The Dons pulled themselves back into the game thanks to Cameron Jerome's strong effort with seven minutes left to play.
A lovely ball over the top from substitute Ben Gladwin found the veteran strike, who held off a defender and struck the ball out of the air with ferocity, beyond Mitchell.
The Dons struck again moments later after taking a quick free kick, with Daniel Harvie's ball whipped into the box for Charlie Brown to slide in at close range, registering his first goal since joining the club in January.
Northampton battled back and were close to being gifted a chance to snatch an equaliser with Jerome's attempted clearance finding a Cobblers attacker, but their effort wasn't enough to trouble Fisher, who stood firm.
The Dons held on and claimed all three points; their third consecutive league victory taking them up to five matches unbeaten in League One, seeing them climb to 11th place in the table.
MK Dons Line-Up: Fisher, Laird (79' Sorinola), O'Hora, Darling, Lewington, Jules (79' Harvie), Surman, O'Riley (65' Gladwin), Fraser, Mason (65' Jerome), Grigg (79' Brown)
