Morecambe boss Jim Bentley was the first to admit his side rode their luck as they clinched a third successive Sky Bet League Two win by beating Oxford United 1-0.
The table-topping Shrimps were second best for long periods of the game against an Oxford side still seeking their first point of the season, but a goal from Kevin Ellison just before half-time was enough to win the game.
Bentley said: "We were nowhere near our best and I thought Oxford were excellent. They passed the ball around really well and had us on the back foot for long periods and perhaps should have had a late penalty when (goalkeeper) Barry Roche seemed to bring down their striker.
"But last year I lost count of how many times I said we had had no luck and if we are getting our share now I will happily take it.''
He added: "The pleasing thing for me is that even though we didn't have the ball for long periods we didn't panic.
"We kept our shape and defended pretty well to keep another clean sheet which was excellent.
"It's great to be top of the league but we are not kidding ourselves and know what we have ahead of us but it is so far, so good.''
Ellison was Morecambe's hero with his fourth goal of the season. The 35-year-old once again grabbed the headlines with the only goal of the game five minutes from the break to keep Oxford pointless.
Jack Redshaw claimed the assist when his shot from the edge of the area was well saved by George Long but the ball fell perfectly for Ellison, who headed into the empty goal from close range.
The second half swung from end to end with both sides coming close to scoring but the biggest talking point came 11 minutes from time.
Morecambe keeper Roche looked to have brought down Danny Hylton in the box but with everyone expecting a penalty and a red card, the Oxford man was booked for a dive to add to the visitors' frustrations.
Oxford boss Michael Appleton admitted he was disappointed to lose for the third time this season but believes better times are just around the corner.
He said: "We played some fantastic football and I don't think anyone here would argue that we didn't dominate the game.
"We created a lot of chances and if we had scored one of those it could have been a whole different story.
"Danny Hylton had a couple of great chances and when he was brought down by their keeper it was a definite penalty and if we had scored then I think there would only have been one winner.
"Things are not going our way at the minute but we have to look long term. There is no way that things won't change if we keep playing football like we are and I will have a bet now that we will finish higher up the table than a couple of sides we have played against this season.''