Cardiff suffered a huge blow to their survival hopes as a free-kick screamer from Cameron Brannagan salvaged a 1-1 draw for Oxford and soured Aaron Ramsey’s first game as Bluebirds boss.

Yousef Salech’s header early in the second half rewarded a far more proactive performance than in recent months for Cardiff – little more than 48 hours after Omer Riza’s sacking.

But, with relegation rivals profiting elsewhere, Brannagan stepped up to 11 minutes from time and 25 yards out to deliver one of the most powerful set-pieces of the season.

It was a real hammer blow for Cardiff, who remain 23rd in the Sky Bet Championship and now three points from safety with two games to play.

Oxford began their their recovery under Gary Rowett by beating Cardiff at home on Boxing Day and are 19th – three points above the relegation zone.

Ramsey, the Wales captain who is currently sidelined after hamstring surgery, was put in charge for Cardiff’s final three games after Friday’s defeat at Sheffield United had dropped the Bluebirds into the bottom two.

Cardiff had won only twice in 14 games under Riza and picked up the fewest number of Championship points since February 1.

Ramsey took to the technical area wearing all black and looking every inch the modern-day head coach.

But there was no funereal atmosphere at the Cardiff City Stadium as fans had heeded Ramsey’s call to turn out in force and back the team to the hilt.

Cardiff built up an early head of steam as Salech and Chris Willock sent over efforts from promising attacks.

Salech also had the ball in the net after 29 minutes but Cian Ashford’s cross had drifted out of play before Callum O’Dowda kept the move alive.

Willock curled wide as Cardiff continued to probe, with Oxford showing little willingness to break out of their structured deep block.

Cardiff were incensed five minutes from half-time when Przemyslaw Placheta crashed into Perry Ng with his studs showing and clearly connecting with the defender’s.

Ng escaped serious damage but players and crowd clearly felt Placheta, who had earlier cynically stopped an O’Dowda burst without sanction, should have seen red and not yellow.

Placheta did not reappear for the second half, a shrewd move from Rowett, but Cardiff broke the deadlock after 56 minutes.

Willock crossed into the penalty area and Salech impressively held off two defenders to head home his seventh goal since arriving in January.

It seemed as if that would be enough for the hosts to claim a precious three points, but Brannagan had other ideas with a strike that will be long remembered by Oxford fans.