Lewis Cox's West Brom analysis: Long way to go but fightback shows togetherness and belief intact
Albion and Ryan Mason have a long way to go to recover from recent weeks, but this was a start.
Mason could ill-afford another negative result in front of an increasingly irritated Hawthorns faithful.
Many supporters have lost patience with goal-shy Albion - always a low commodity in this day and age - and finales like last Tuesday's at Charlton after a dour stalemate against bottom club Sheffield Wednesday the previous weekend will do the head coach no favours.
There were shoots of optimism in the performance - and not the outcome - in south east London, however, and Mason's men built on that with a much-needed victory here.
Whether the clash against the lowly U's, out of form and low on confidence under Gary Rowett, was a 'must-win' for the head coach to remain in post only the owners at Bilkul will know - Mason refused to be drawn into that debate on Friday.
The likelihood is not even a bad result against Oxford would have persuaded owner Shilen Patel and club president Andrew Nestor to act.
Albion's hierarchy courted Mason for some time and, having finally made it happen in the summer, will give their man all the time he needs to get things moving in the right direction. Furthermore, a second sacking of their tenure in fewer than 20 games at the helm following Tony Mowbray's disastrous return is not a good look.
The Baggies will not be interested in the churn and instead favour a consistent approach.
One suspects only a really toxic atmosphere inside The Hawthorns and at away ends around the country could change that if results - and goals - continued to elude Mason.