With 56 minutes showing on the match clock, the vast majority of the 23,407-strong crowd at Cardiff City Stadium would have been dreaming of their own Easter miracle on Monday.
January signing Yousef Salech held off two Oxford defenders before heading Chris Willock's cross into the net to send the home supporters into raptures.
Aaron Ramsey, on his managerial debut at the club where it all started for the Wales hero almost two decades earlier, looked on course to guide the Bluebirds to a precious victory in the club's quest to avoid relegation from the Championship.
But Oxford produced their very own bolt from the blue as Cameron Brannagan's thumping 35-yard strike flew into the net in the 79th minute to stun those previously fervent fans and ensure the points were shared.
Not only did Cardiff fail to win for the sixth game running, but the draw also meant the Bluebirds were the only side who started the day in the bottom five of the Championship that failed to win on Monday.
It leaves Cardiff three points adrift of safety with just two matches left to play this season.
Ramsey's men also have a significantly worse goal difference than the likes of Hull and Derby, who are currently hovering above the drop zone.
And already faint hopes of a dramatic turnaround appear to have been dented further following the news that both of Cardiff's remaining opponents - West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City - have changed their manager.
Baggies stalwart James Morrison has replaced Tony Mowbray on an interim basis at The Hawthorns, while former Arsenal and England midfielder Jack Wilshere will occupy the hot seat for the remainder of the Canaries' run-in after they sacked Johannes Hoff Thorup.
Realistically, Cardiff need to win both of their remaining fixtures to stand any chance of survival, and they know that anything less than three points guarantees they will be playing in the third tier next season.
Most outside the four walls of the Cardiff City dressing room are already accepting relegation is on the cards, but is there any glimmer of hope for the club under Ramsey?
READ MORE: Aaron Ramsey Urges Cardiff City To Keep Flickering Hope Alive To Final Game
Fresh energy and ideas from an accomplished star such as Ramsey - along with that of his assistants such as Chris Gunter - has already proven beneficial.
There was undoubtedly a feeling of unity among fans, players and the new-look coaching staff against Oxford, something of a rarity for the club, particularly this season given the struggles under both Erol Bulut and then Omer Riza.
Their final two opponents have also been abysmal of late.
West Brom have won just once in eight matches to see their top six hopes evaporate at the crunch period of the season.
READ MORE: Aaron Ramsey Boost Provides Cardiff City With One Point . . . But They Needed Three
As for Norwich, they have won just one of their last 10 league games, collecting just one point from the last 15 on offer, to slump to 14th, having themselves been firmly in the play-off mix not too long ago.
Cardiff had 61% of the possession against Oxford and restricted Gary Rowett's side to just one shot on target.
Unfortunately, it was Brannagan's stunner, but the Bluebirds could take huge comfort from their ability to restrict The U's to so little in front of goal.
Whatever the outcome of the relegation scrap, Ramsey's reputation certainly won't be tarnished, so in that regard, it's something of a free hit for the 34-year-old.
Should the seemingly inevitable, as most fans see it, occur on Saturday, or on the final day of the regular season a week later, the finger will need pointing solely at the club's hierarchy, and namely at owner Vincent Tan.
Years of mismanagement have led to an often unbalanced squad struggling to adapt to alarmingly regular managerial alterations.
As for matters off the pitch, the Bluebirds are continuing to lose money, as highlighted when the club posted a pre-tax loss of £11.66m for the 2023-24 financial year.
For the majority of the Bluebirds faithful, relegation has been in the pipeline for some time.
And should their worst fears come to fruition, it will simply have to serve as a wake up call to those in the corridors of power at Cardiff City Stadium, and to the man some 6,630 miles away in Malaysia.
