Oxford gave their absentee manager Karl Robinson the perfect tonic with a 3-1 victory over Burton Albion to record a second-successive League One win.

The visitors roared out of the blocks and took the lead with 40 seconds on the clock. Matty Taylor gathering in Sam Long’s pass and racing through to fire the ball past Ben Garratt.

The Burton goalkeeper was the busier of the two stoppers and twice produced excellent saves to deny Cameron Brannagan from extending Oxford’s lead in a first half where Albion struggled for a foothold in the game.

There was nothing that Garratt could do, however, when the away sided doubled their lead two minutes before half-time.

Nathan Holland’s shot took a double deflection off Tom Hamer and Michael Bostwick to wrong-foot the Burton keeper and nestle the ball into the back of the net.

Substitute Charlie Lakin gave the hosts hope firing in from 10 yards after 80 minutes, but James Henry’s penalty four minutes later sealed victory for the U’s after Garratt brought down Taylor in the box.