Plymouth Argyle See Off South Coast Rivals For Crucial Win
Plymouth Argyle have moved out of the drop zone in the EFL Championship after picking up three points at home to Portsmouth.
The Vertu Motors-backed side returned to Home Park looking to bounce back from a 3-0 loss on the road to Leeds United at the weekend, with Wayne Rooney hoping for three points against their South Coast rivals.
Rooney made five changes to the Leeds game including a first start for Andre Gray but it was Portsmouth who started the stronger – having a goal disallowed within the first minute due to an offside flag.
Connor Ogilvie and Matt Ritchie both spurned first half chances for the visitors, with Darko Gyabi having the best chance for Plymouth in a goalless first half.
Portsmouth continued to have the better chances after the break before Jordan Houghton had Argyle’s best opportunity with a shot from the edge of the box that forced a good save from Nicolas Schmid.
Argyle had a goal of their own chalked off for offside as they grew into the game and with less then ten minutes to go, the breakthrough arrived.
Sub Michael Obafemi was able to muscle his way into the box after a long goal kick and smashed the ball beyond Schmid to send the home fans wild and secured a vital three points.
Next up is a trip to Derby County this weekend which will see Rooney go up against his former club.