Idris El Mizouni's goal was his first for Oxford since his summer move from Ipswich
Oxford United earned a third Championship win of the season as they beat Stoke City 1-0 at the Kassam Stadium.
After a poor first half, the recalled Idris El Mizouni put the hosts in front shortly after the restart as he side-footed home a Ruben Rodrigues pass.
The U's could have been further ahead as Siriki Dembele went close soon after as the hosts began to assert control.
Des Buckingham's side almost doubled the lead again 10 minutes from the end when an unmarked Peter Kioso managed to put an effort over the bar from five yards after a corner was flicked into his path.
The win lifted Oxford into the play-off places in the early Championship table ahead of the day's 15:00 BST kick offs.
Both sides limited the other to long-range efforts during a tame first half in their first meeting in more than 23 years.
Mark Harris saw a 12th-minute strike easily gathered by Viktor Johansson, while Stoke's keeper palmed away a Tyler Goodrham strike from the edge of the box.
At the other end Eric Bocat had a 16th-minute strike blocked by Elliott Moore as Stoke went close from two successive stoppage-time corners.
Of more concern to both managers were midfield injuries sustained in the opening period as Stoke's Lyndon Gooch limped off 12 minutes before the break while Oxford's Cameron Brannagan also had to come off before the interval.
Brannagan's replacement Rodrigues set up the opening goal as he cut in from the right after Goodrham had won the ball, and his pass found El Mizouni 12 yards out.
The goal lifted the confidence of the U's as Dembele saw a deflected shot loop into Johansson's arms soon after before Harris forced Stoke's Swedish keeper to bat away a fierce effort from the edge of he box three minutes later.
Ben Wilmot did well to block a Rodrigues effort in the area after a pinpoint Peter Kioso pass after an hour as Stoke continued to be penned in.
Oxford had three great chances to score in the space of a minute as first Goodrham had a shot saved and from the resulting corner El Mizouni saw a powerful strike deflected over, before Kioso somehow contrived to miss with the goal gaping.
Andrew Moran's effort soon after summed up Stoke's day as he ballooned an effort high and wide from the edge of the box as Oxford goalkeeper Jamie Cumming had few saves to make.
Oxford United head coach Des Buckingham:
“I hope our fans realise that a lot of really hard work has gone in this victory again today.
“It was an overall performance from the team, and this against a very, very good Stoke team.
“I thought the first half was probably evenly-balanced, but in the second half I thought we were really exciting to watch and that’s pleasing for me and our fans.
“We’re putting together a way we want to play – I certainly don’t want any of my players to be robotic in any way.
“Collectively we’ve been impressive again, but I also want the players to showcase themselves as individuals when they can."
Stoke City head coach Steve Schumacher told BBC Radio Stoke:
"I think it's a game that we'll end up regretting. We spoke about it as an opportunity to come here and get a win, try and get three points and we said exactly the same at half-time.
"The performance wasn't brilliant in the first half, but it was still there for us and we just needed to up our game.
"But the opposite happened. They got the goal early on in the second half - a real poor goal from our point of view from a throw in - and then we huffed and puffed in the rest of the second half but showed no quality.
"So not good enough, and in the end we got what we deserved."
