Wayne Rooney secured his first Championship victory as Plymouth Argyle head coach in dramatic fashion, with a stoppage-time winner from captain Joe Edwards sealing a 3-2 triumph over Sunderland.
The result was that Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris admitted that his young side ‘still had a lot to learn’ while former England striker Rooney believed his side deserved the win.
Sunderland started the stronger of the two sides and took an early lead when Patrick Roberts converted a controversial penalty, sending Argyle keeper Dan Grimshaw the wrong way. Roberts, instrumental in the first half, nearly doubled the lead with a floated free-kick that Grimshaw managed to push onto the bar.
Argyle, slow to find their footing in the first half, were a different side after the break. They found an equaliser when Morgan Whittaker’s powerful volley bounced off the underside of the crossbar, ricocheting off Sunderland defender Dan Ballard’s thigh and into the net.
With momentum swinging in Plymouth’s favour, Ibrahim Cissoko rattled the bar with a curling effort, signalling Argyle’s growing confidence. Their persistence paid off when Ryan Hardie earned and converted a penalty after being fouled by Ballard, putting the home side 2-1 up.
As the game neared its conclusion, Sunderland appeared down and out, but they clawed their way back with four minutes to go. Romaine Mundle picked up a loose ball after a save and coolly slotted it through a crowd of defenders into the bottom corner to level the score at 2-2.
However, just when it looked like the Black Cats would return home with a hard-fought point, Edwards pounced on an Anthony Patterson save in the third minute of stoppage time, slotting home the winner and securing a crucial victory for Rooney’s side.
The result lifts Plymouth out of the relegation zone, while Sunderland remain top of the table but miss out on a club-record fifth consecutive win.
Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris expressed his disappointment after the match, telling BBC Radio Newcastle: “We scored twice and away – it’s never easy to score and we did it.
“But even during the first half when we thought we controlled the game, there was something in behind that we were not in our best shape today and we conceded to make it 2-2 and we had the strength to come back.
“So we can say that was a good part at the end of the game, but at the end we conceded that third goal, so for us we are disappointed. But we know that it’s a process, it’s still a young team, it’s still a team who need to learn and today it was a new experience.”
As for Rooney, he put his side’s tough opening to the season behind him, with a victory he felt was deserved.
“I’m obviously delighted with the three points,” he said. “I felt we ended the first half better, we gave the ball away and were a bit sloppy at times early on and then they take the lead through a penalty.
“I felt then we started getting back into the game and getting a bit of control back. I’m pleased for the lads because I think they deserved that today.”
Writer’s View
This was a big result for Wayne Rooney, securing his first Championship win in dramatic fashion. Plymouth showed real grit in the second half, turning the game around with a strong response after going behind. The team looked revitalised after the break, and the late winner from Edwards will give them massive confidence going forward.
For Sunderland, the loss will sting. Despite controlling large portions of the first half and coming back late, they let the game slip in stoppage time. Regis Le Bris will be concerned about his side’s inability to close out games, but as he said, this is a young team still learning. They remain at the top of the table, but will need to bounce back quickly.
Be the first to comment