Jesuran Rak-Sakyi (centre) celebrates after scoring Sheffield United's third
Sheffield United went to the top of the Championship after another impressive home display saw them brush aside Oxford United 3-0 at Bramall Lane.
Chris Wilder's were side two up after half an hour after early goals from Callum O’Hare and Tyrese Campbell's fifth in his last six league outings.
The Blades added a third after the break through Jesuran Rak-Sakyi after standout performer Gustavo Hamer provided a second assist.
United's win was their seventh in a row at home without conceding a goal and sends them two points clear at the top.
In contrast, Des Buckingham's U's remain in something of a tailspin with just one win in their last 12 games and in 18th place, two points above the relegation spots.
Wilder's side were quickly into their stride against an Oxford outfit still wearing the bruises from their 6-2 defeat at the hands of Middlesbrough at the weekend.
They took just 10 minutes to turn dominance on the ball into numerical advantage on the scoreboard.
A long throw and flick-on by Harry Souttar was picked up by Campbell on the right of the area and returned across the six-yard box, where it was met by a sliding O’Hare.
Just short of the half-hour mark Campbell doubled the Blades’ lead, rounding Jamie Cumming and tapping home after Hamer had cleverly deflected Sydie Peck's pass into his path.
Not for the first time this season, Hamer was the standout, more often than not providing the key which unpicked the visitors' defence.
And he went close to adding a third just four minutes later, narrowly denied by a good save from Cumming.
It was credit to Oxford that they continued to try and play their way back into the game.
But in truth they were not able to create much in the way of clear-cut chances and, ultimately, had no answer to the quality in the home ranks.
Hamer was again central to Sheffield United’s third, picking up a smart backheel from Vinicius de Souza two minutes short of the hour mark before playing a short, stabbed pass to Rak-Sakyi on the edge of the box.
The 22-year-old still had work to do but cushioned the ball brilliantly with his first touch before slamming a left-foot finish past Cumming.
If anyone deserved to decorate their night with a goal it was Hamer but the 27-year-old playmaker was denied by Hidde ter Avest, whose block on the line kept out a fierce shot from nine yards.
The result saw the Blades leapfrog Leeds United at the summit, after Sunderland's draw with West Brom, and it sets up a mouthwatering clash with the Black Cats at Bramall Lane on Friday.
Blades manager Chris Wilder told BBC Radio Sheffield:
"We would have taken a win at the start of the day as I've been involved in too many games to know that these are the ones which are really important.
"It’s Tuesday night and little bit cold and you are playing a team that everybody expects you to win, you’ve got to get the job done and we did.
"It is a great home record and that home form has been fabulous and key. I know sometimes I want us to go forward and go from three to four to five but there was some great defending when we were winning three-nil to keep that clean sheet.
"Sunderland have been going great and Friday night is a big game. Two teams that have started the season on the front foot and are deservedly in this position."
Oxford United boss Des Buckingham told BBC Radio Oxford:
"A tough place to come against a team who are top of the table but I thought we gave a good account of ourselves for 30 minutes. No team has scored here in nine hours and we had to go and chase the game but we did as much as we could.
"Their ambition as a club is to go up, ours is to stay up. There are three of their players on the pitch who cost the entire amount of our team, so that is the reality.
"But we have shown we are more than capable of competing against these teams.
"There is a gulf between Sheffield United and Middlesbrough but we have shown against teams like West Brom, Norwich and Burnley that we can compete and when we have everyone available we are more than capable."
