Cardiff City delivered a commanding performance to lift themselves off the bottom of the Championship table, thrashing a 10-man Plymouth Argyle side 5-0 at Cardiff City Stadium.
The victory, only their second league win of the season, breathed life into the Bluebirds’ campaign as they surged up to 22nd in the standings, just one point from safety.
Early Blitz Puts Cardiff in Control
Cardiff set the tone early with an aggressive, attacking display. Alex Robertson opened the scoring with a stunning 20-yard curler, before Rubin Colwill doubled the lead eight minutes later with a composed finish after a poor clearance from Plymouth.
Plymouth’s afternoon went from bad to worse when Ibrahim Cissoko was sent off before the break for shoving Perry Ng to the ground. The red card, after Ollie Tanner’s challenge sparked a scuffle, left Plymouth with an uphill battle.
Cardiff, already in control, took full advantage of their numerical superiority. Colwill, the creative spark throughout, delivered a low cross that Anwar El Ghazi converted for his first Bluebirds goal.
Colwill Shines as Cardiff Run Riot
Colwill’s influence didn’t end there. The Wales international was instrumental in most of Cardiff’s attacking moves, constantly pulling the strings and keeping Plymouth on the back foot.
Cardiff’s fourth came from Callum Robinson, who raced down the left, cut inside, and fired into the far corner. His celebration paid tribute to former teammate George Baldock, who passed away recently at the age of 31.
Chris Willock rounded off the rout with a bouncing effort from the edge of the box, giving Cardiff their first five-goal haul in a league match since 2017.
Riza Relieved as Cardiff Find Form
Interim manager Omer Riza, standing in as Cardiff continue their search for a permanent boss, was visibly pleased with the performance and hinted that this could be a turning point for the struggling side.
“I’m really pleased for the players and the fans. They’re the most important things, trying to bring everyone back together. Hopefully, we did that today,” said Riza. “Rubin was excellent, his work rate and intensity were superb, along with Ollie, Robbo, and Anwar. If we keep working like this, we’ll get our rewards.”
This was a much-needed result for Riza, who had guided Cardiff to just one win in his first three games in charge. The team’s attacking intent, so often lacking this season, finally came together as they more than doubled their previous goal tally in a single game.
The loss leaves Plymouth in 18th place, still searching for their first away win of the season.
