West Brom end winless run by beating Oxford

Aune Heggebo's goal was just his second in the Championship since his summer move from Norwegian side Brann

West Bromwich Albion ended a four-game winless run as they came from behind to beat Oxford United in the Championship.

The Baggies dominated the first half but their struggles in front of goal continued as they hit the target just once from their 15 shots.

They were made to pay for that lack of a killer instinct soon after the break, when Will Lankshear converted from close range for Oxford.

But the U's lead lasted less than two minutes as defender Greg Leigh put past his own goalkeeper - West Brom's first goal in four games.

The win was clinched by substitute Aune Heggebo's excellent header past keeper Jamie Cumming.

The victory left Albion 14th in the table, while Oxford's third loss in five games meant they stay one place above the relegation zone, with the gap to the bottom three cut to three points.

The Baggies dominated the early stages, forcing four corners inside the first eight minutes, with Isaac Price seeing a flicked header headed off the line by Ciaron Brown.

But they looked like a side that had failed to score in their previous three league games as, despite continuing to lay siege to the Oxford goal, only a blocked Mikey Johnston effort from a tight angle truly looked like it would break the first-half deadlock.

Cameron Brannagan had a long-range effort for Oxford that forced Josh Griffiths into a save as West Brom continued to create half-chances.

The impressive Johnston curled an effort wide, before he put in a teasing pass across the face of goal three minutes before the break, which forwards Josh Maja and Karlan Grant failed to connect with.

Lankshear finished well from a Przemyslaw Placheta cross along the six-yard box from the right to give Oxford the lead soon after the break, but their advantage was short-lived.

Johnston was again involved as he played in Callum Styles, and his low ball across the face of goal was parried by Cumming into Leigh and back into the net.

It kick-started the hosts and Isaac Price and Jayson Molumby went close before what was an impressive winner.

Price whipped in an excellent cross from the right and Heggebo got in front of his marker at the near post and powered it into the top corner.

Brannagan had two more long-range efforts that needed decent saves from Griffiths, but Oxford were unable to get an equaliser and Heggebo forced Cumming into a save in the 90th minute, before fellow substitute Samuel Iling-Junior blazed over from an angle in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

West Bromwich Albion head coach Ryan Mason told BBC WM:

"It was important, you could feel it, But not just the win - I thought the performance, the attitude, the intensity we played with was really pleasing after a really disappointing way to lose the game on Tuesday.

"I'm really happy with the reaction, we created so many opportunities; we probably should have scored a lot more than two, but I'm pleased to win the game.

"They scored against the run of play. In the first half we had 15 shots at the goal, we don't come away with anything to show from it, but that happens.

"The players stuck to what we worked on, what we wanted from them, and some improvements today in terms of balls arriving in the box - I thought we had so many penalty-box entries.

"We need to keep working on the final action and arriving in the areas we want to, but we scored two really good goals in my opinion today, so we're happy. "

Oxford United head coach Gary Rowett told BBC Radio Oxford:

"I'm incredibly frustrated because that's been symptomatic of our performances this season in as much as we do a lot to get back in the game when the game's not perfect, but the game's never going to be perfect coming away from home to West Bromwich Albion.

"I thought we started a little bit slowly, allowed them to pin us in, but I didn't think we looked in too much trouble. I thought we blocked shots and we had to defend, but I can't remember too many big, big chances that they created.

"I had to remind our players that we're in a good position, we just have to step it up a little bit and I thought we kind of did at the start of the second half - we ended up getting a very good goal.

"But we lasted two minutes maybe and that's been the frustration; we just keep conceding very, very soft goals and keep conceding goals that I think we shouldn't concede.

"When you do that you don't really give yourself a good chance to win games."