Substitute Adam Le Fondre equalised for Rochdale in the 90th minute before Chris Dagnall snatched the hosts' first win of the season two minutes into injury time as the Dons fell to pieces at the back.

Kevin Gallen's first-half double, either side of Dagnall's equaliser, had put the Dons 2-1 up at half-time at Spotland.

Milton Keynes dominated the first half with some slick passing football and Gallen deservedly put them ahead in the 16th minute when he stole in to thump home a powerful five-yard header from Lloyd Dyer's pin-point cross.

Dagnall curled an exquisite 22-yard equaliser past flat-footed MK goalkeeper Willy Gueret to equalise for Rochdale in the 27th minute, after the Dons' defence had invited him to shoot by backing off badly.

But Gallen – deputising for the ill Aaron Wilbraham up front – restored the Dons' lead just a minute later.

The 31-year-old former QPR striker controlled Mark Wright's clever cut-back and fired his third goal of the season into the corner from eight yards despite Simon Ramsden's valiant sliding attempt to keep it out.

Dagnall should have equalised for Dale again in the 34th minute but he astonishingly blazed Tom William's perfect low cross wide from four yards as the Dons breathed a huge sigh of relief.

The hosts came out fired up after the break and Dagnall forced Gueret into a good diving save with a fierce low 25-yard strike soon after the re-start.

Wright missed a golden opportunity to make it 3-1 to the Dons five minutes from the end when he fired the against Ramsden on the goal-line from seven yards after Dale keeper James Spencer had saved debutant Jemal Johnson's shot from Gallen's low cross.

And substitute Le Fondre made him pay by equalising for Rochdale in the 90th minute when his curling 25-yard strike was pushed into the corner by Gueret.

Then Dagnall amazingly won it for Dale two minutes into stoppage time when he headed into an empty net from close range after Le Fondre's shot had come back off the underside of the bar.

Rochdale: Spencer, Ramsden, Kennedy (booked 45), Doolan (booked 5), McArdle (c), Branston (booked 25), Muirhead (Higginbotham 70), Perkins, Murray (Le Fondre 54), Dagnall, Rundle (Prendergast 54). Subs: Russell, Le Fondre, Crooks, Prendergast, Higginbotham.

MK Dons: Gueret, Stirling, Lewington (booked 73), Andrews (c), O'Hanlon, Gallen, Knight (Johnson 77), Cameron (Navarro 79), Dyer, Wright, Swailes (booked 59). Subs: Diallo, Edds, Navarro, Johnson, Abbey.

Referee: Mr A Bates.

Attendance: 2,743.