Peter Kioso and Gatlin O’Donkor both received second yellow cards as Aaron Ramsey’s men survived a late onslaught from the Stags.

Luka Lynch’s first ever goal in professional football put Oxford ahead in the first half Michael Smith found a deserved Mansfield equaliser.

The hosts had Oxford pinned back in the opening stages, a shot from Nathan Moriah-Welsh getting blocked by teammate Jon Russell.

Mark Harris glanced a Louie Sibley free kick wide with his head in response, before a stretching Rhys Oates could not quite meet a lethal low ball in.

Mansfield kept pushing then, Michal Helik recovering to stop Smith in the box.

A first save from Jamie Cumming tipped the ball wide four minutes before Russell and Deji Oshilaja both saw efforts blocked.

Another Russell dig was held by the U’s goalkeeper as United weathered the storm.

With 34 minutes on the clock, Lynch showed his quality to cut inside and bend a perfect shot into the top left corner from the edge of the penalty area and put the Yellows ahead against the run of play.

The Stags hit back when Cameron Brannagan gave the ball away in his own box leading to Russell putting the ball over with time on his side.

Nigel Clough’s side kept up their pressure but could not find the net before the break.

The hosts picked up where they left off with a blocked effort from Stephen McLaughlin and a curling shot wide from Oates.

Substitute O’Donkor had a poke at goal saved as the U’s grew into the second half before Oates broke away but was stopped impressively by Peter Kioso in the box.

That is when the wheels began falling off, Kioso receiving a second yellow for an alleged dive in the box.

Frazer Blake-Tracy out a cross over the crossbar before the equaliser came, Smith bundling into the net after Cumming failed to deal with another cross.

It went from bad to worse then, O’Donkor seeing red after a clumsy slide challenge saw him also receive a second yellow.

Mansfield battered the Oxford box in the final few minutes, the U’s managing to hold out for what proved to be a valuable point.

Stags: L Roberts, Hewitt (Maris 80), Sweeney (Blake-Tracy 74), Russell (Hendry 74), Smith, Thompson, Oates, Moriah-Welsh (T Roberts 61), Oshilaja, Reed, Abbott (McLaughlin 46)

Yellows: Cumming, Kioso, Brown, Helik, Spencer, Brannagan, Andrews, Sibley (O’Donkor 59), Lynch (Missanga 59), Harris (Currie 78), Dembele (Long 80)

Bookings: Moriah-Welsh, Russell; Kioso, O’Donkor

Red cards: Kioso, O’Donkor