Leaders Burton surrendered their 100 per cent home league record as Cambridge ended a three-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory.
The hosts had the chance to stretch their lead over Wycombe at the top of the table to four points but could only answer a Tom Elliott double and a Ryan Donaldson strike with a late consolation goal.
The visitors took the lead when Elliott steered a header wide of Jon McLaughlin from Harrison Dunk’s cross in the 35th minute.
Adam McGurk had a header pushed round a post and substitute Jacob Blyth fired inches wide the Brewers piled forward in the second half.
But the U’s broke in devastating style to double their lead in the 64th minute, Dunk exposing an undermanned Burton defence with a low cross that was slid home by Donaldson.
And the visitors sealed victory in style 12 minutes later when they launched another counter-attack and Crystal Palace loanee Kwesi Appiah to thread a pass through for Elliott to steer home his fourth goal of the season.
Burton reduced the deficit when Lucas Akins squeezed in a 15-yard shot eight minutes from the end.
SKYSPORTS
