Plymouth Argyle 3-2 Rotherham United: Pilgrims get 96th-minute winner to deny Millers

Finn Azaz celebrates scoring for Plymouth ArgyleImage source, Rex Features
Image caption,

Finn Azaz took his tally to six goals for the season

Finn Azaz scored two and set up a stoppage-time winner as Plymouth Argyle overcame 10-man Rotherham United in a dramatic Championship game.

Jamie Lindsay gave bottom side Rotherham an early lead as he fired into the bottom corner after some good build-up play.

Azaz levelled from the penalty spot in the fifth of 15 minutes of first-half added time after injuries to Argyle strikers Ryan Hardie and Mustapha Bundu.

Azaz put the Pilgrims ahead soon after the restart before the visitors had Daniel Ayala sent off for a second booking.

Substitute Tom Eaves scored a close-range equaliser for the Millers three minutes after coming on, but Azaz teed up Morgan Whittaker for the winner in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

Rotherham, under new manager Leam Richardson, stay bottom of the Championship and are nine points from safety while Argyle move up to 16th place and are six points above the relegation places.

The visitors started well in Devon as Sam Nombe flashed a third-minute effort across the face of goal before Dexter Lembikisa's powerful effort was bravely headed away by Lewis Gibson not long after.

Lindsay's goal came after Jordan Hugill, Lembikisa and Nombe combined to tee up the midfielder for his first goal in 13 months.

Whittaker almost levelled seven minutes later when his effort from a neatly-worked free kick glanced past the post, while Hugill should have doubled the lead shortly after when he headed over from close range having been found unmarked by Lembikisa.

Image source, Rex Features
Image caption,

Ryan Hardie (left) and Mustapha Bundu were both forced off with injuries for Argyle

Argyle's cause was not helped when first-choice striker Hardie had to be helped off the field with a head injury following a clash with Daniel Ayala, before his replacement Bundu lasted a matter of seconds before being stretchered off when Hakeem Odoffin caught him with a heavy challenge and was lucky to escape with a booking.

The Pilgrims levelled from Azaz's penalty after former Exeter City forward Nombe pulled Gibson in the box and the midfielder almost gave Argyle a half-time lead when he crashed an effort off the post in the 13th minute of stoppage time from the edge of the box.

There was still more action to come as Ben Waine - who replaced Bundu - had an effort cleared off the line soon after.

Azaz curled an effort wide five minutes into the second half before he put his side ahead two minutes later as he swept home Whittaker's pull-back into the bottom corner.

The drama continued soon after when Ayala became the first player to be sent off in successive games in the EFL this season as he stopped a long ball with his arm.

But it was his side that took advantage as Grant Hall nodded down a cross from the left and Eaves converted from close range.

Argyle upped the pressure as Bali Mumba and Gibson both went close before they were rewarded as the Pilgrims' two creative forced combined with Whittaker shooting low past Viktor Johansson.

Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher told BBC Radio Devon:

"I wish it wasn't as eventful, but the way it turned out - to play nearly an hour in the first half - and for the decisions that were made and to score a penalty it was quite a draining afternoon.

"But at the end of the day today's result was the most important thing.

"We thought we played really well on Wednesday night and worked so hard to get a result from the game and wanted to back that up with three points.

"We made hard work of it really, especially when we went 2-1 up and they had 10 men, it should have been more comfortable than it was.

"But credit to Rotherham, I thought they were brilliant, really well organised, really hard working and a massive threat when they were throwing balls in the box."

On injuries to Ryan Hardie and Mustapha Bundu:

"The lads have gone to hospital. Ryan's head injury looked a serious one, when I saw him at half-time he had a big swelling over his left eye, so he'll get a scan and see how he is.

"Mustapha has quite a bad gash on his shin, so will need some more in-depth work on it at the hospital, so fingers crossed that they're both okay."

Rotherham United head coach Leam Richardson told BBC Radio Sheffield:

"It's a tough one to take, but we started the game extremely well and deserved to go ahead.

"It turns on a penalty. I've not seen the incidents yet so I won't comment on them, but I thought the application, the work ethic and endeavour was all there to see and I think we deserved something out of the game.

"I thought in possession we had really good patterns, out of possession we were very comfortable.

"I've only been here a couple of days, but the work that we've put in showed on the pitch and I thought we grew into it.

"Even with 10 men I thought we deserved something. We worked hard enough to get back into the game and we deserved a positive result today."

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