Plymouth Battle Back To Grab First League Victory
Plymouth Argyle came from behind to secure a first league win of the EFL Championship season after a dramatic game with league leaders Sunderland.
The Vertu Motors-backed side had taken two points from the opening four games of the campaign under Wayne Rooney, whilst the visitors arrived at Home Park having won all four games prior to the international break.
Sunderland had the better of the first half and took the lead in somewhat fortuitous circumstances after Bali Mumba was deemed to have fouled Chris Rigg in the box, with Patrick Roberts sending Dan Grimshaw the wrong way from the penalty spot.
Grimshaw was then nearly beaten by a swirling free-kick sent in from the wing, but somehow managed to turn the ball onto the bar to keep the score at 1-0 going into the break.
Both sides had created chances before the Argyle equaliser arrived ten minutes into the second half, with Anthony Patterson doing well to save a shot from Morgan Whittaker only for the ball to bounce back off the cross bar and deflect into the net off Dan Ballard.
The game then started to open up and having missed more chances to go ahead, Argyle finally got their chance when Ryan Hardie was fouled in the box less than ten minutes after coming on.
Hardie got up to smash home the penalty and put Argyle on course for victory only for Sunderland draw level four minutes from time after a scramble in the home penalty area.
Romaine Mundle picked up a ball that was deflected back out to the left hand side of the box after his cross, and somehow managed to curl a shot through a crowd of players and into the bottom corner to make it 2-2.
It looked like that goal would be enough to leave Rooney and his side still chasing a first league win until stoppage time when defender Kornel Szucs let fly from outside the box and Patterson could only push his shot away.
The ball fell at the feet of Joe Edwards and the captain drilled the ball back beyond the 'keeper to wrap up the points and lift Argyle up to 16th in the table.