Milton Keynes Dons 0 - 2 Bristol City: Jonathan Kodjia double earns Bristol City vital win at relegation rivals MK Dons

Posted Sunday, February 21, 2016 by PA

Bristol City leapfrogged relegation rivals MK Dons as a Jonathan Kodjia double led the Robins to a 2-0 Sky Bet Championship win at stadiummk.

Kodjia, a B£2million summer signing from French side Angers, netted either side of the half-time break to maintain Lee Johnson's winning start as boss.

Johnson's side have won their last three games and are now eight points clear of the drop zone, while their hosts sit just five points and one place above the bottom three.

There was little in the way of real attacking creativity during the opening exchanges, with both sides keen to avoid conceding the first goal in what looked set to be a extremely tight affair.

The visitors eventually recorded the game's first shot on goal just before the half-hour mark when Joe Bryan burst forwards with pace, before beating a weak defensive challenge on the edge of the hosts' box and smashing the ball just wide of goalkeeper David Martin in the MK Dons net.

The Robins went close again as the game approached the interval after Luke Freeman picked up a loose pass from MK winger Josh Murphy and drilled his effort just over the Dons' crossbar.

And with just seconds remaining of the additional minute of stoppage time at the end of the first half, Johnson's men were gifted a half-time lead.

Home goalkeeper Martin fluffed a routine goal-kick into the feet of Robins forward Lee Tomlin, who then had the simple task of laying the ball across goal into the path of Kodjia who tapped home is 11th goal of the season from close range.

The Dons responded well immediately after the break, though, and looked the far brighter of the two sides going forward.

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas was first to go close after some clever footwork allowed him the space on the edge of the visitors' box to drill his strike just over the bar, before Murphy's energetic run down the left was rewarded with the chance to curl his effort just round City goalkeeper Richard O'Donnell's far post.

But as the game hit the hour mark Bryan sent a searching ball forward for the visitors that found Kodjia perfectly on the edge of the Dons' penalty box and, after out-pacing the Dons defence, he slotted past a despairing Martin.

The hosts felt aggrieved when former Bristol City man Nicky Maynard was seemingly sent tumbling inside the box under pressure from O'Donnell as the match entered its closing stages, but the referee waved away their appeals for a lifeline penalty.