The Dallas Cowboys have piled more misery on the Minnesota Vikings' season with a late 27-23 victory at the AT&T Stadium.

The two sides played out a low-scoring opening to the match, with Dan Bailey converting two field goals and Blair Walsh kicking one in the opening two quarters.

There was a touchdown before the end of the first half, however, as Christian Ponder took advantage of some good blocking to dive into the end zone after a six-yard run, giving the Vikings the lead.

Their four-point advantage did not last long in the third quarter, however, as the Cowboys scored early on.

Tony Romo threw a pass straight down the middle of the field for Jason Witten, who held off two defenders to make it into the end zone.

Things got even worse for the Vikings on the very next drive when George Selvie's tackle forced Ponder to fumble the ball in his own goal area, allowing Nick Hayden to dive on it for a touchdown.

The visitors responded to the Cowboys' two touchdowns in quick succession with a score of their own as Ponder found Kyle Rudolph, who somehow eluded a number of tackles on his way into the endzone.

The Vikings then regained the lead with 5:49 left in the fourth quarter when Adrian Peterson showed incredible strength to power his way over the line from 11 yards, although Walsh put his extra-point kick wide.

It was Dallas who were to have the last laugh, however, as Romo's pass found Dwayne Harris for a seven-yard score with just 42 seconds left on the clock to clinch the win for his side.

The result means that the Vikings are still without a win on their travels this season as they stay bottom of the NFC North, while the Cowboys extend their lead in the NFC East.