MK Dons slumped to defeat as they were beaten 4-2 by League Two leaders Walsall
The visitors had taken the lead against the runaway division leaders when Scott Hogan gave MK Dons a first half lead.
But Walsall equalised through David Okagbue before Liam Gordon put Walsall in front within the opening minute of the second half.
Further strikes by Harry Williams and Albert Adomah put the home side out of reach, and although substitute Kane Thompson-Sommers scored a consolation, defeat means MK Dons remain stuck in midtable.
The Dons sit 12th in the League Two table, with the team now 8 points off the play-offs, having won just one of their last seven outings.
Scott Lindsey’s side had debuts for Dan Crowley and Jay Williams after their recent moves to Milton Keynes, with further arrival Tommi O’Reilly starting among the bench.
The game represented a test for the Dons, with Walsall having won 8 straight games to set up a double digit lead at the top of the table. The Saddlers had received a setback in the lead-up, however, with top scorer Nathan Lowe recalled from his loan at the team by parent club Stoke City.
MK Dons had made a solid enough start and took the lead after 14 minutes. A long pass by Aaron Nemane released Hogan, who was deemed onside, and the former Aston Villa & Birmingham striker was able to charge to the penalty area before sliding an effort beyond Walsall keeper Tommy Simkin.
Jamie Jellis saw a chance at a corner denied by Tom McGill as the home side had moments without finding a way through.
But just after the half hour mark, Walsall did get back on level terms. McGill was unable to control a corner into the box, and Okagbue ultimately got the touch that bundled the ball over the line to bring the Saddlers back on level terms.
The Dons did prevent Walsall from building on this in the first half, with Liam Kelly nearly putting them back in front with a strike just before the break that flew just wide.
But Walsall flew out of the blocks in the second half, with the home side taking the lead less than a minute into the second half.
Connor Barrett’s cross bounced off Aaron Nemane and ended up falling for Gordon, who drilled a shot home and put the leaders ahead in their goal for a ninth straight win.
The home side had plenty of opportunities for a third after that, with Jellis having a strike cleared off the line by Luke Offord and McGill having to deny Gordon.
A third would fall the home side’s way with 25 minutes of the 90 to go, as the Dons never dealt with a long throw and the ball ricocheted for Williams to rifle past McGill.
MK Dons would end up contributing to Walsall’s fourth, as a rushed clearance by McGill was intercepted before Thompson-Sommers could control the ball, allowing Walsall to work the ball through for veteran attacker Admoah to score.
Thompson-Sommers would grab a late second for the Dons, with the midfielder receiving Nemane’s deflected cross and planting home a first-time strike.
But that was the end of the scoring, with the Dons slumping to a fifth defeat in seven. The team’s next match will see them have their rescheduled trip to Fleetwood on Tuesday, before next weekend’s big clash with AFC Wimbledon.