Oxford Untied stretched their unbeaten run to six games after drawing 2-2 with Exeter City at the Kassam Stadium.
They were two minutes away from making it seven straight wins but the visitors, who had not lost on their last five visitors to Oxford, drew level from the penalty spot.
It was all Oxford in the first half after Exeter lost full-back Andy Roscoe with a shoulder injury after nine minutes.
He scored twice in Exeter's 2-1 win in February and but for two brilliants saves by Kevin Miller from Jefferson Louis and Steve Basham, Oxford would have been two ahead by the time of his departure.
Savage, who missed a chance after 19 minutes with a weak shot, had a fierce drive blocked on the line four minutes from half time.
Miller again rescued Exeter with another excellent save from Basham after 51 minutes, but the course of the game changed seven minutes later.
Steve Flack headed his ninth goal of the season from a Carl Pettefer corner, the first goal Oxford had conceded in over eight and a half hours.
Oxford boss Ian Atkiins immediately sent on striker Lee Steele, signed in the summer from Brighton for his league debut and he equalised after 78 minutes with a mis-hit shot which deceived Miller.
Five minutes later Scott Hiley fouled Steve Hackett 25 yards out and Matthew Bound blasted the free-kick past a badly set up wall and into the roof of the net.
Two minutes from the end Scott McNiven brought down Pettefer inside the area and Justin Walker sent goalkeeper Andy Woodman the wrong way from the spot.
Atkins said: "Sheer stupidity cost us two points. You can't start dangling your legs like that with two minutes to go." He added: "We created more chances than in the last ten games and the score should have been 16-3. The lads had their Christmas party on Monday and it carried on out there." Exeter manager Neil McNab expressed satisfaction with the result, commenting: "We certainly did not deserve to lose the game. We had two chances to increase the lead after we scored but then gave away a bad goal." He added: "I'm just relieved to get something out of the game because I would have been gutted to leave with nothing."