Oxford boss Gary Rowett said victory was more important to his side than it was to Sheffield Wednesday after they boosted their Championship survival hopes with a 1-0 win at Hillsborough.
Sam Long’s 79th-minute header was enough to take the U’s six points clear of the relegation zone with four games remaining.
Rowett said: “This is a big result in a tough game for us. It felt like it was a game with a bit more pressure on it after losing to QPR.
“We know our away form hasn’t been good enough so it’s great for us to get a win at this stage of the season.
“Wednesday started the game better but we grew into the half without taking our opportunities. The game swung in both sides’ favour and it could’ve gone either way.
“I think with our positions in the table it just felt like a win was a little bit more important to us than Sheffield Wednesday today.
“I have sympathy for Wednesday, it’s difficult for them with the situation they’ve been in off the pitch recently.
“I would’ve probably settled for a point but I thought there was something there for us to get all three which is why we rolled the dice with the substitutions in the second half.
“We created some good chances and we should’ve had a penalty with the handball.
“Who knows how many points will keep us up? I thought 50 points would be enough at Birmingham last season and it wasn’t.
“I’m not a big believer in getting to a certain amount of points. We’ve just got to keep going until enough is enough.”
Wednesday fans continued to protest against Owls chairman Dejphon Chansiri, turning their back on the pitch and chanting for him to sell the club in the 10th minute.
Wednesday manager Danny Rohl said: “We tried our best today. We had some good moments but sometimes it’s hard when you’re playing for nothing.
“It’s frustrating to concede from another set-piece. It hurts and it makes me angry to lose 1-0 at home again and again.
“It is tough at the moment for the group and for me but this is football. When we win we celebrate together and so in the games we lose we have to suffer as a group together.
“We are still creating chances but we have to be more clinical. I don’t make excuses. This is my job and in the end we have lost again and we have to ask ourselves why.”
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