A blistering start by Oxford blew relegation-threatened Fleetwood away before the visitors were forced to scrap to a 3-2 win.

Oxford raced into a two-goal lead within seven minutes, making it 3-0 on 16 minutes, but a fightback from relegation-threatened Fleetwood at least made for a nail-shredding finish.

Nathan Holland struck Oxford’s opener with less than two minutes played, hitting the bottom corner from Billy Bodin’s cross.

Cameron Brannagan doubled the play-off hopefuls’ lead on seven minutes, finding the same corner with a low drive after a neat one-two with Holland.

And on the quarter-hour mark Oxford were 3-0 up, as Bodin beat his man to Brannagan’s cross and firmly headed in.

Fleetwood finally started to show some life when Callum Camps struck the crossbar with a free kick and, six minutes before the break, referee Bobby Madley awarded them a penalty when Sam Long handled in the box.

Ellis Harrison fired in the spot-kick to offer the hosts hope.

That hope increased when Cian Hayes hit Fleetwood’s second on 53 minutes, following up to slot in after Harrison’s challenge on U’s keeper Jack Stevens had forced the ball loose.

But, although they battled throughout the latter stages, they couldn’t find the equaliser their second-half efforts warranted as they slipped back into the relegation zone.