Plymouth Argyle get dramatic first Championship win under Wayne Rooney
Captain Fantastic Joe Edwards added to his impressive list of important goals for Plymouth Argyle during his five years at the club with an added-time winner to beat table-topping Sunderland 3-2 at a jubilant Home Park.
It sealed a first Championship win for the Pilgrims under Wayne Rooney, who would have been thrilled with the character shown by his side against opponents who had picked up maximum points from all of their previous four league games this season.
Sunderland led at the interval after a 24th minute penalty from Patrick Roberts, but Argyle staged a stirring second half fightback to lead 2-1 by the 73rd minute with an own goal from Daniel Ballard and a Ryan Hardie spot kick.
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It looked as though the Pilgrims’ wait for a first Championship win of the season would continue when Romaine Mundle equalised in the 86th minute, but Edwards had other ideas as he fired home in the third minute of added time to clinch a thrilling, memorable victory.
Goalkeeper Dan Grimshaw made his Championship debut against Sunderland in place of the injured Conor Hazard as one of three changes from Argyle’s last league game, the 1-0 home defeat by Stoke City a fortnight earlier.
Grimshaw’s only previous game for the Pilgrims since signing from Blackpool last month had been when they lost 2-0 away to Watford in the Carabao Cup second round.
The other two changes saw Callum Wright and Michael Obafemi, the loan signing from Burnley, come into the side instead of Jordan Houghton and Hardie, who were both on the substitutes’ bench.
It was Obafemi’s full Championship debut after two previous substitute appearances, although he did start against Watford.
Left-back Bali Mumba played his 100th game for Argyle and it came against the club where he began his career and made his first team debut for Sunderland at the age of 16.
Swedish midfielder Rami Al Hajj, Argyle’s transfer deadline day signing from Danish club Odense, was on the bench against the league leaders, as was newly-signed goalkeeper Marko Marosi.
The 30-year-old former Doncaster Rovers, Coventry City and Shrewsbury Town shot-stopper had joined as a free agent the previous day after Hazard was ruled out for around three months due to ankle surgery.
Wright lined up in central midfield alongside Darko Gyabi and Adam Randell as Rooney switched Argyle to a 4-5-1 formation against the table-topping Black Cats.
There was a cagey start to the contest, with the first goal attempt coming in the eighth minute when Sunderland’s Jobe Bellingham - the younger brother of England and Real Madrid star Jude - fired wide from 20 yards out.
The visitors had more of the ball than Argyle in the opening stages but without doing too much with it in the final third, while the home side kept a solid shape defensively.
Sunderland threatened when Dan Neil whipped in a cross from the right which striker Eliezer Mayenda tried to get on the end of, but he was challenged by Argyle defender Kornel Szucs and could not make contact with the ball.
The Black Cats' Chris Rigg had a low shot comfortably saved by Grimshaw before the visitors broke the deadlock in the 24th minute.
Roberts sent Grimshaw the wrong way from the penalty spot after Mumba was adjudged by referee John Brooks to have pushed Rigg from behind inside the box. There was some contact but it had been very minimal.
Sunderland came close to extending their lead soon afterwards when they were awarded a free-kick on their right after a late tackle from Gyabi on Trai Hume.
Roberts almost caught out Grimshaw with his inswinging left-foot cross-shot, with the Argyle ‘keeper just about able to push it onto the bar and the ball was scrambled away.
There was then a good chance for the Pilgrims to equalise in the 32nd minute when Wright led an attack down the right. His cross was cleared only as far as Gyabi, who was 15 yards out in a central position, but he blasted the ball over the bar.
Sunderland’s lively attacker Mundle had a shot deflected narrowly wide for a corner as Argyle struggled to mount any attacking pressure, with Morgan Whittaker hardly involved in the game.
It led to Rooney making a tactical switch as Wright was pushed forward into a ‘number 10’ role behind Obafemi, who had been very isolated up until that stage, but it remained 1-0 to Sunderland at the break.
Whittaker was very harshly booked by Brooks for what looked like a perfectly good tackle from behind on Mundle in the opening moments of the second half.
Argyle went close to getting an equaliser soon afterwards with a terrific 25-yard shot from Randell, which was tipped just wide by goalkeeper Anthony Patterson, diving at full stretch.
However, the Pilgrims did draw level at 1-1 in the 54th minute. A low cross from Ibrahim Cissoko found Wright, whose strike was blocked but the ball rebounded across to Whittaker.
His fierce left-foot shot was brilliantly touched onto the underside of the bar by Patterson but the ball hit Ballard as he tracked back and went into the net for an own goal.
Argyle were buoyed by that, and their much-improved showing at the start of the second period, and a left-foot volley from captain Joe Edwards went just wide in the 62nd minute after Ballard headed out a cross from Wright.
A double substitution for the Pilgrims soon followed as Al Hajj and Hardie were sent on for Wright and Obafemi respectively as the game became increasingly open.
Al Hajj almost scored with one of his first touches of the ball when it broke to him on the edge of the Sunderland box and his shot went narrowly wide of the far post.
Moments later, Argyle went even closer to taking the lead when Cissoko checked back onto his right foot and his curling shot beat Patterson but hit the underside of the bar and was cleared.
A second goal did come for the Pilgrims in the 73rd minute, though, when Hardie coolly converted a penalty which was awarded by Brooks after the Argyle substitute was shoved off the ball by Ballard.
Former Sunderland defender Brendan Galloway was a 79th minute replacement for Cissoko and went to left-back, with Mumba being pushed further forward on the left.
A further two changes came soon afterwards, both in central midfield, as Houghton and Adam Forshaw took over from Gyabi and Randell for the closing stages of the enthralling game before Mundle equalised with a low angled shot into the corner of Grimshaw's net.
As the game went into added time, Mumba almost marked his 100th appearance for Argyle with a goal as his fierce low drive was pushed wide for a corner by Patterson.
However, the Pilgrims were not to be denied a winning goal and it came in the third minute of added time from their inspirational captain.
Argyle centre-back Kornel Szucs had a powerful shot which was parried away by Patterson but the ball broke out to Edwards and he squeezed his follow-up shot between the legs of the Sunderland ‘keeper to spark wild scenes of celebration at the Devonport End.
ARGYLE: Dan Grimshaw; Joe Edwards, Kornel Szucs, Lewis Gibson, Bali Mumba; Morgan Whittaker, Callum Wright (Rami Al Hajj 65 mins), Adam Randell (Adam Forshaw 82 mins), Darko Gyabi (Jordan Houghton 82 mins), Ibrahim Cissoko (Brendan Galloway 79 mins); Michael Obafemi (Ryan Hardie 65 mins).
Substitutes: Marko Marosi, Nathanael Ogbeta, Mustapha Bundu, Victor Palsson.
SUNDERLAND: Anthony Patterson; Trai Hume, Daniel Ballard, Luke O’Nien, Dennis Cirkin; Chris Rigg (Alan Browne 70 mins), Dan Neil; Patrick Roberts, Jobe Bellingham, Romaine Mundle; Eliezer Mayenda (Wilson Isidor 79 mins).
Substitutes: Simon Moore, Nazariy Rusyn, Chris Mepham, Leo Hjelde, Tom Watson, Trey Ogunsuyi.
REFEREE: John Brooks
ATTENDANCE: 16,967 (1,723)
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