Oxford United overcame the body blow of losing Stuart Massey to a terrible injury after just six minutes to record a magnificent 2-0 win against Manchester City at Maine Road.

Regrouping and then striking like a lethal dart through top-scorer Joey Beauchamp, the U's not only hung on but doubled their score in the second half to win at Manchester City for the second season in succession.

Teenager Jamie Cook put the match way beyond the reach of a City side who failed to live up to the hype of claiming to be revitalised under new boss Joe Royle.

Most of a crowd of nearly 29,000, the biggest United have played in front of this season, saw them outgrafted by the visitors and, when they did get close to goal, their finishing was woeful.

Indeed, it proved to be a fairly comfortable fourth away win of the season for the Oxford players who celebrated memorably, along with manager Malcolm Shotton, in front of their own 800 following after the final whistle. United showed their character in the way they carried on after losing Massey to a sickening knee injury.

Massey had earlier produced the game's first shot, a speculative 20-yarder which posed Tommy Wright no real problems.

But when caught in a challenge with Peter Beardsley, he was left writhing on the ground in agony and it was clear he was seriously hurt.

He was stretchered off and Paul Powell took over in a central midfield role.

Shotton chose to use Jamie Cook alongside Kevin Francis and with Powell coming on it was a very young Oxford United side in such a vast arena.

Martin Gray was handed a man-to-man marking job on Beardsley, and he did it superbly, never straying more than a few yards from the former Newcastle star and cutting off the City strikers' main source of supply.

There was an early scare for the visitors when Lee Bradbury char-ged down a clearance from Phil Whitehead, yet United's defenders got back in time to halt the danger.

United seemed most at risk from their own backpasses, some of which fell too short for comfort.

Beardsley escaped Gray's close attentions just once on 26 minutes when he dispossessed Simon Marsh inside the penalty area and made room to strike a venomous shot which hit Whitehead in the face.

Beauchamp's skilful running was a constant threat and the winger should have scored on 28 minutes. A long pass forward was missed by Francis but two City defenders had been taken out and Beauchamp was left for a free run on goal. He cut inside Murtaz Shelia but was too deliberate with his side-footed shot, and Wright easily saved.

So when a second chance came his way a minute before the break, Beauchamp was doubly keen to make it count.

Poor City defending allowed Francis space on the left of the box and he squared the ball to the onrushing Beauchamp who direc-ted a low 18-yard shot into the bottom corner.

Shelia joined Massey in having to leave the field injured just before half-time.

Predictably enough, the home side came out for the second half fired up and exerted strong pressure with a string of corners.

But only briefly did they have Oxford stretched.

Paul Dickov was sent on to replace Bradbury who, at £3.4m has got to be the biggest waste of money in English football.

Dickov shot over on the turn but Whitehead had very little to do, apart from coming for crosses, when Cook made it 2-0 six minutes from time.

First he worked himself into a shooting position on the edge of the box. Wright saved but Cook refused to let Craig Russell clear, harried and dispossessed him and then shot under the keeper's body.

Whitehead ensured a third clean sheet in a row by tipping Kakhaber Tskhadadze's header against the bar in the 90th minute.

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