OXFORD United suffered late heartbreak after Haji Wright scored a winner for Coventry City six minutes into second half stoppage time at the end of a pulsating encounter.

Wright had earlier headed the home side into the lead after quarter of an hour, before Ciaron Brown made things level seven minutes later with a tidy finish.

Milan van Ewijk restored the Sky Blues lead just after half an hour had been played with a lovely finish at the end of a tidy move.

Eleven minutes into the second half, Mark Harris grabbed a second U’s equaliser when he got the finishing touch from a Ruben Rodrigues header.

Wright had the final say though, when he took full advantage of a slack back pass from Will Vaulks, to get through on goal.

Des Buckingham named the same side which started the 2-0 win against Norwich City in United’s season opener, with Tyler Goodrham making his 100th U’s appearance in all competitions.

The Sky Blues were fast and ferocious in their passing and running off the ball, with some of their attacking play during the first half simply just too quick for United.

Victor Torp whipped a free kick wide in the opening few minutes, while Przemyslaw Placheta headed off target from a Sam Long cross at the other end.

The hosts took the lead when Wright headed in from a van Ewijk cross with 15 minutes played.

Ellis Simms was then inches away from connecting with a Wright cross, after the latter got in behind down the left-hand side.

Josh Eccles lined up a shot from range, and saw his grasscutter drift wide, just moments before the U’s pulled themselves level.

The Sky Blues failed to effectively deal with a free kick swung into the box, and from the second phase of play, Brown produced a tidy finish from inside the penalty area after a scramble for the loose ball.

The home side were undeterred though, and went straight up the other end, with Jack Rudoni pinging a sweetly struck left-footed volley wide.

Jamie Cumming then produced a strong hold from a Wright header after the hosts worked the ball patiently.

Coventry nudged back in front with a lovely passage of play.

The Sky Blues worked the ball across the face of the penalty area, and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto dummied for right back van Ewijk to run onto the ball and find the bottom corner with a fine effort.

Cumming was required again to make a stop at his near post after Wright superbly slalomed his way into space in the left channel.

The final bit of action in the first half saw Placheta head just wide at the back post.

It was Coventry who had the first sniff of goal in the second period, when Rudoni slid the ball down the side for Simms, with the striker smashing his effort off target.

Harris though found another United equaliser, as Cameron Brannagan worked his way down the left before picking out Rodrigues in space at the back post, with the Portuguese midfielder’s diving header aided into the net via a scrappy touch from Harris.

Buckingham made his first alterations immediately after the goal, introducing Idris El Mizouni and Matt Phillips in place of Rodrigues and Placheta respectively.

The U’s again needed Cumming to perform heroics between the posts, making an incredible reaction save to keep out a Luis Binks header with 66 minutes on the clock.

A double save with two minutes to go kept United in it, with Cumming doing brilliantly in particular to get across and thwart substitute Ephron Mason-Clark.

Seven minutes of stoppage time were signalled, and Eccles tested Cumming with a shot straight down the goalkeeper’s throat.

Cumming was finally beaten when Vaulks played a sloppy ball back, allowing Wright to burst through on goal and round the United keeper.

Coventry City (4-3-3): Dovin; van Ewijk, Latibeaudiere, Binks, Bidwell (Dasilva 80); Rudoni, Eccles, Torp (Palmer 80); Sakamoto (Mason-Clark 72), Simms (Thomas-Asante 70), Wright.

Unused subs: Wilson, Thomas, Allen, Kitching, Andrews.

Booked: None.

Oxford United (4-3-3): Cumming; Long, Moore, Brown, Bennett; Rodrigues (El Mizouni 57), Vaulks, Brannagan; Goodrham (Sibley 78), Harris (Scarlett 90), Placheta (Phillips 57).

Unused subs: Ingram, Kioso, Leigh, McEachran, Ebiowei.

Booked: Bennett, Goodrham, Harris.

Referee: David Coote (Nottinghamshire)

Attendance: 28,051 (1,868 away)