Sheffield United maintained their unbeaten start in the Championship and moved joint-top of the table with a 2-0 home win over Luton Town.

Jesurun Rak-Sakyi marked his 22nd birthday in style, scoring a goal in each half, as the Blades brushed aside their struggling visitors on Saturday.

The youngster was denied in the opening stages, but still ensured United got off to a strong start, firing in an emphatic finish after just 12 minutes.

He then got his second just seven minutes after the restart, sliding it through Thomas Kaminski's legs.

The Blades should have had a third late on when Vinicius Souza struck the post, but they had already done enough to take advantage of Sunderland dropping points on Friday to join them on 19 points at the summit.

Luton, meanwhile, are winless in three as they sit just above the relegation zone in 21st place.

Elsewhere, Plymouth Argyle snatched a dramatic 2-1 home win over Blackburn Rovers, after manager Wayne Rooney had been sent off.

Michael Obafemi's 15th-minute goal looked enough to secure a win until Joe Rankin-Costello equalised with four minutes left of normal time.

Rooney was subsequently sent to the stands for his protests as he felt there was a foul in the build-up, meaning he was not on the touchline when Morgan Whittaker headed in a last-gasp winner in the seventh minute of stoppage time.

Watford also secured a late victory, with Tom Cleverley's side coming from behind to beat Middlesbrough 2-1 at Vicarage Road.

It initially looked like they were in danger of falling to a second consecutive defeat, having failed to create chances before George Edmundson took advantage of slack defending to put Boro ahead.

However, the Hornets' substitutions swung the game back in their favour, with Edo Kayembe pulling them level before Kwadwo Baah's half-volley secured the points in the 87th minute.

Wayne Rooney credited Plymouth Argyle's defensive showing as crucial in their 3-1 triumph over Luton Town at Home Park on Friday. 

Plymouth took the lead in the eighth minute courtesy of Rami Al Hajj, with the Swede notching his first Pilgrims goal with a curled finish beyond Thomas Kaminski. 

The hosts found themselves two goals in front 20 minutes from time after substitute Ibrahim Cissoko shifted the ball onto his left foot before firing a stunning effort into the far corner. 

Plymouth's joy was short-lived, though, as Victor Moses chested down Alfie Doughty's cross to the back post before striking the ball beyond Daniel Grimshaw less than two minutes later. 

The Hatters continued to pile on the pressure in search of an equaliser but were undone by a moment of individual brilliance from Cissoko, who danced his way into the area and saw his first effort blocked, but finished the rebound to move Plymouth up to 13th in the Championship. 

Rooney has now guided his side to back-to-back home victories for the first time this season, and said his side had to adapt to Luton's relentless attacking to emerge victorious. 

"I thought it was a good performance for different reasons," Rooney said. 

"I thought first half we were good at times, controlled the tempo of the game and Luton tried to press us, and I think when we showed composure and played through the press we caused them problems.

"Second half we were a little bit sloppy with the ball and gave it away in dangerous areas at times, but I thought defensively our back four, and in particular the two centre-backs, were excellent.

"Luton are very good at set-pieces and I thought we were brilliant defending them and showed great character and desire to go and head the ball, and then the attacking players get all the praise when they score the goals."

For Rob Edwards, a run of back-to-back victories ended on the South Coast, with his side lacking a clinical edge in front of goal. 

The Hatters registered 16 shots during the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 1.07, but only two of his side's efforts were on target. 

"Credit to the opposition, at both ends of the pitch they were better - they were more ruthless at one end and defended better at the other," Edwards said. 

"I think we got into their final third 40-odd times, twice as often as they did, but we didn't make their goalkeeper work enough.

"We weren't clinical enough at one and end then didn't defend well enough at the other -it's not a good recipe to win a football match.

"It's really frustrating to come away losing a game talking about both ends of the pitch."

West Brom went back to the top of the Championship with a 1-0 victory over Wayne Rooney’s struggling Plymouth Argyle.

The Baggies were made to wait until the 62nd minute before opening the scoring through Josh Maja, and it was a goal that came against the run of play.

Plymouth had started the second half better, but were unable to make their chances count before Maja's tap-in ultimately settled it.

The victory is a fifth in six matches and fourth in a row for Carlos Corberan’s side, who reclaimed first place from Sunderland and have opened a three-point gap to third-placed Burnley. Plymouth, meanwhile, are 20th and just one point above the relegation zone.

Elsewhere, Leeds United moved into the top six following a 2-0 win away to 10-man Cardiff City, who are bottom of the table.

Defender Joel Bagan was sent off for the hosts after 23 minutes after he was adjudged to have been the last man after a challenge on Willy Gnonto.

It got even worse for Cardiff seven minutes later as Largie Ramazani scored his first Leeds goal.

Cardiff goalkeeper Jak Alnwick saved Pascal Struijk's second-half penalty, but an effort from former Swansea City striker Joel Piroe on 87 minutes wrapped up the points for Daniel Farke's side. Cardiff boss Erol Bulut, meanwhile, looks under increasing pressure.

Burnley snatched a 94th-minute winner at home to Portsmouth, having initially gone a goal down.

Callum Lang's first-half goal had Pompey ahead at half-time, but Jeremy Sarmiento equalised in the second period before Brownhill nicked a winner, leaving the Clarets third and Portsmouth second-bottom.

And Sheffield United are up to fourth after a 1-0 win over Derby County at Bramall Lane.

The Blades got the winner after 53 minutes through Gus Hamer, with Derby dropping to ninth on nine points from six matches.

Joe Edwards netted a dramatic 93rd-minute winner as Wayne Rooney's Plymouth Argyle stunned Championship leaders Sunderland 3-2 on Saturday.

Argyle were still waiting for their first league win under Rooney heading into this match against the early pace-setters, who had recorded four wins from four.

It looked like being more of the same when Patrick Roberts netted a first-half penalty for Sunderland, but Plymouth turned the game on its head after the restart at Home Park.

Dan Ballard's own goal got the home side level, then Ryan Hardie converted an Argyle spot-kick.

Sunderland fans had made the longest trip in the EFL this season to see their side and looked to be rewarded with a hard-earned point when Romaine Mundle equalised four minutes from time.

But Plymouth were not done and rallied again to sensationally snatch victory in stoppage time as Edwards reacted fastest to a rebound and blasted past Anthony Patterson.

Watford had been Sunderland's nearest challengers but could not capitalise as they drew 1-1 at home to Coventry City.

That result allowed Blackburn Rovers to move up to second on 11 points, one behind Sunderland, as they eased to a 3-0 victory over Bristol City.

Yuki Ohashi scored twice at Ewood Park to see Blackburn nudge back ahead of rivals Burnley, winners earlier in the day at Leeds United.

West Brom subsequently ended Saturday in fifth but could now take top spot on Sunday when they take on Portsmouth.

Pompey are in the bottom three until then, a place and a point below Preston North End, who earned a 1-1 draw on the road against Middlesbrough.

Cardiff City are bottom and still with just one point after losing 1-0 at Derby County. 

Plymouth Argyle battled back from conceding an early goal to claim a 1-1 draw away to QPR in the Championship, despite finishing the game with just nine players.

They endured a dismal start after forward Michael Frey headed past goalkeeper Conor Hazard from a corner to put the home side a goal ahead after just three minutes.

But Wayne Rooney's side rallied and equalised in the 28th minute through a magnificent long-range strike from Morgan Whittaker, which was their only shot on target.

The Plymouth attacker had originally played a misplaced pass, which ricocheted off a QPR defender and landed straight back at his feet. The 23-year-old hit the ball first time with his left foot and it rocketed into the top right corner of the goal.

But things got worse for Argyle just a minute later as Adam Forshaw was sent off for a second booking following a late challenge on Jimmy Dunne.

Five minutes into the second half, Sam Field hit the far post with a header and a QPR onslaught followed for the remainder of the match. 

Yet Plymouth stood firm to clinch their second point of the season. Goalkeeper Conor Hazard made nine saves, and despite Freddie Issaka's late red card further diminishing Argyle's numbers, QPR could not find a way through.

Elsewhere, Bristol City drew 1-1 at home to Coventry City.

Liam Manning's side took the lead in first-half stoppage time through a stunning George Tanner volley from a corner.

But they were unable to keep the lead despite controlling large parts of the match, with Kasey Palmer equalising for Coventry in the 76th minute.

Hull City, meanwhile, drew their third league game out of three this season, playing out a goalless stalemate at home to Millwall.

It took 34 minutes for the Tigers to have their first shot on target, although Millwall had the first big chance of the game through George Savile.

Hull could not convert possession into clear-cut chances - Chris Bedia came closest in the 77th minute, but was denied by an acrobatic Lukas Jensen save to keep it goalless. Both sides remain winless.

Newcastle United will visit Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest in the second round of the EFL Cup.

Newcastle reached the final of this competition in 2022-23, also qualifying for the Champions League.

But Eddie Howe's men narrowly missed out on European football ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, meaning they enter the EFL Cup at this early stage.

The Magpies were handed one of the tougher possible draws, although they have won at the City Ground in each of the past two seasons. Newcastle and Forest will meet in Nottingham in the league in November.

Forest have enjoyed the sides' recent cup encounters rather more, knocking Newcastle out at this stage in both 2017-18 and 2018-19.

Elsewhere, Wednesday's draw, which was split into northern and southern sections, also pitted West Ham and Bournemouth against one another in a second all-Premier League tie.

Wayne Rooney's Plymouth Argyle are to head to fellow Championship outfit Watford, while Middlesbrough host Stoke City after making the semi-finals last term and then beating Leeds United in the first round.

Rooney's former side Everton were drawn against Doncaster Rovers, the same opponents they defeated a year ago.

Ties will be played the week commencing August 26.

EFL Cup second-round draw in full:

Coventry City v Oxford United
Swansea City v Wycombe Wanderers
Wimbledon v Ipswich Town
Birmingham City v Fulham
Watford v Plymouth Argyle
West Ham v Bournemouth
Queens Park Rangers v Luton Town
Brighton and Hove Albion v Crawley Town
Crystal Palace v Norwich City
Cardiff City v Southampton
Millwall v Leyton Orient
Colchester United v Brentford
Grimsby Town v Sheffield Wednesday
Everton v Doncaster Rovers
Blackburn Rovers v Blackpool
Fleetwood Town v Rotherham United
Shrewsbury Town v Bolton Wanderers
Nottingham Forest v Newcastle United
Barrow v Derby County
Leicester City v Tranmere Rovers
Middlesbrough v Stoke City
Barnsley v Sheffield United
Harrogate Town v Preston North End
Walsall v Huddersfield Town
Wolves v Burnley

Wayne Rooney claimed his first win in charge of Plymouth Argyle with a 3-0 victory over fourth-tier Cheltenham Town in the first round of the EFL Cup.

Manchester United and England great Rooney was appointed as Plymouth boss ahead of the 2024-25 season, returning to the Championship after an unsuccessful stint at Birmingham City last season.

But the former striker's league bow saw Plymouth thrashed 4-0 at Sheffield Wednesday, with Rooney criticising his players following the first match of the campaign.

This cup meeting with Cheltenham eased the pressure on Rooney and Plymouth a little, however, even if they had to wait until past the hour mark for Ben Waine's breakthrough goal.

Ryan Hardie and Mustapha Bundu then added to the scoring in the final 10 minutes to send Rooney's side safely into the second round.

Argyle are joined there by league foes Wednesday, who continued their strong start to the season by beating Hull City 2-1 courtesy of an early Charlie McNiell brace.

Meanwhile, in the third and final tie on Wednesday, Middlesbrough dumped out fellow Championship promotion candidates Leeds United, winning 3-0 at Elland Road.

Leeds, beaten play-off finalists last season, had been held at home by Portsmouth on the opening day of the league campaign and were frustrated again in front of their own fans, who booed the team off at full-time.

Anfernee Dijksteel's fine individual strike was followed by goals from Delano Burgzorg and Josh Coburn to ensure Boro boss Michael Carrick joins former team-mate Rooney in the draw for the next stage.

Wayne Rooney described himself as "angry" after watching his Plymouth Argyle side begin their Championship campaign with a meek 4-0 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday.

Rooney's first competitive game at the helm was one to forget as Wednesday ran riot at Hillsborough, with Jamal Lowe, Josh Windass and Michael Smith among the scorers.

The Manchester United and England great has now recorded just two wins in his last 16 Championship games in charge of Birmingham City and Plymouth, drawing four and losing 10.

Speaking to Sky Sports in the aftermath of Sunday's defeat, he hit out at his players for failing to do the basics against a well-drilled Wednesday side. 

"The scoreline was deserved. We conceded four goals from four crosses. The basics of the game were not there," Rooney said.

"We didn't take the ball well enough or handle the crowd. We allowed them to get a foothold in the game, and we let it run out and conceded two more goals.

"I'm disappointed and angry, because that's not the performance I wanted to see. We spoke about their threats from crosses.

"We spoke about Barry Bannan and we let him run the game and didn't get close enough to him. That wasn't acceptable.

"The players have to earn a right to play. You can lose football games, that happens, but there's a way you want to see your players run, work and tackle. 

"We've had a lot of fans come a long way, and the performance we've given wasn't good enough. We have to make sure that doesn't happen again."

Wednesday racked up 30 shots totalling a huge 4.85 expected goals (xG) in Sunday's game, with 24 of those efforts coming from inside the Plymouth area.

Plymouth, meanwhile, amassed just five attempts worth 0.31 xG, hitting the target once and only recording eight touches inside their hosts' box.

Wayne Rooney's reign as Plymouth Argyle boss got off to a miserable start as they were thrashed 4-0 by Sheffield Wednesday in their first Championship game of the season.

Sunday's trip to Hillsborough represented Rooney's first match back in management since he was sacked by Birmingham City in January.

Any hopes of a flying start to his time on the south coast were quickly dashed as Danny Rohl's team dominated from the off, eventually racking up 4.85 expected goals (xG) from 30 shots at goal.

Jamal Lowe converted Svante Ingelsson's cross on the slide to hand the Owls a 35th-minute lead, then the new striker saw a header deflect in off the unfortunate Brendan Galloway for 2-0 shortly after the break.

Wednesday added further gloss to the scoreline late on, Josh Windass stabbing home an 82nd-minute third before Michael Smith came off the bench to finish from close range in stoppage time.

While the resounding victory takes Wednesday top of the early-season standings, Plymouth prop up the second-tier table ahead of Monday's match between Luton Town and Burnley.

Data Debrief: Plenty for Rooney to ponder

Plymouth were thoroughly outclassed by a Wednesday team they finished just two points behind last season, leaving their new boss with plenty to think about.

They only managed five shots to the hosts' 30, facing a huge 24 efforts from inside their own area.

Since returning from a spell in MLS with D.C. United, Rooney now has a record of two wins from 16 Championship matches with Birmingham and Plymouth (four draws, 10 losses).

The Championship is always enthralling, and there is no reason why the 2024-25 season should be any different.

Since its rebranding in 2004, there have been 14 different winners in the second tier. Half of those former champions will be competing in the latest edition. 

Thirty-eight different teams have finished in the top six of the Championship. In that same period, the Premier League has only had 15, showing just how competitive this division is.

But of equal interest, the fight to remain in the second tier is always intriguing.

Here, we use Opta data to pick out the key storylines. 

Leeds out to rectify play-off woes

Leeds, who lost to Southampton in the play-off final, became the only team to accumulate 90 points in a season yet fail to secure promotion, with Leicester City and Ipswich Town finishing on 97 and 96 respectively. 

While the significant losses of Crysencio Summerville and Archie Gray will prove to be a bitter blow, Daniel Farke still has an abundance of talent at his disposal. 

Georginio Rutter remains a Leeds player, and was a crucial part in their (ultimately doomed) promotion push, ranking eighth for the most goals and assists in the division last year (22). 

But, relegated trio Sheffield United, Burnley and Luton Town will pose a significant threat to Leeds' title ambitions, as they hope to return to the Premier League at the first attempt. 

All three clubs have managed to keep the majority of their squads from last season intact, with the only significant change coming in the dugout at Turf Moor. 

Scott Parker returns to management following Vincent Kompany's departure to Bayern Munich, and boasts an impressive pedigree from his time in the second tier. 

Parker has won two promotions from the Championship with Fulham and Bournemouth, triumphing in 48 of the 92 games he has managed in the division (D25 L19). 

Norwich City also look strong contenders, having finished as the Championship's fifth-highest scorers last year with 79 goals, but the loss of Gabriel Sara is significant. 

Sara's creative flair saw him produce 121 chances, only bettered by Sorba Thomas (123) and Leif Davies (125), as he finished the campaign with 13 goals and 12 assists.

Mark Robins and Coventry City will also be right in the mix after finishing in the top 10 in the last two seasons, including a memorable FA Cup run last term. 

Rooney to keep the Pilgrims afloat?

At the opposite end of the table, all eyes will be on Wayne Rooney as he embarks on his latest managerial venture, this time with Plymouth Argyle. 

Rooney endured a disastrous tenure with Birmingham City last season, winning two of his 15 games in charge (D4 L9), surviving just 83 days in the St. Andrew's dugout.

The 38-year-old has performed well in the Championship previously, though, almost keeping Derby County up during the 2021-22 season despite a 21-point deduction. 

But arriving at a side that won the second-fewest number of away games (three) and also shipped 70 goals last term, Rooney's task at Home Park is a tough one.

Rooney's former club Derby, along with Portsmouth and Oxford United, are the new boys, and they have been welcomed into the Championship with a difficult opening round of fixtures. 

While the Rams' start is slightly kinder, with an away trip to Blackburn Rovers followed by a home game against Middlesbrough, Portsmouth and Oxford were not so lucky. 

Pompey travel to Leeds for their opening encounter, and they face the three relegated Premier League sides in their opening seven fixtures. 

Oxford's 25-year wait for second-tier football sees them start at beaten play-off semi-finalists Norwich, with games against Burnley and Luton following soon after. 

Blackburn's upcoming season largely hinges on whether top scorer Sammie Szmodics remains at Ewood Park following his stellar performances in the division last year. 

Szmodics scooped the Golden Boot last season with 27 goals in 44 appearances, outperforming his expected goals (xG) by 4.6 while also creating 49 chances. 

The 28-year-old has been linked with a move away from the club and should Rovers lose his goals, it could prove to be a difficult nine months. 

Tyrhys Dolan and Arnor Sigurdsson offer a different kind of attacking threat, but the pair managed just 10 goals between them in the division last campaign. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Alfie Doughty - Luton

One of the standout performers for Luton last season was full-back Alfie Doughty, and he will be key again for the Hatters this season. 

Doughty registered two goals and eight assists and was one of many players expected to depart Kenilworth Road this transfer window, though for now he has stayed put.

The 24-year-old attempted the most crosses (340) in the Premier League, 89 of which were completed, which was the joint-highest alongside Pascal Gross.

Joe Rodon - Leeds

While Leeds have sold Summerville, Gray and Glen Kamara, they have strengthened with the arrival of one of last year's standout performers.

Joe Rodon made a loan switch from Tottenham permanent after helping Leeds keep 19 clean sheets in his 46 appearances.

The Welsh international won more aerial duels (132) than anyone in the Leeds squad last year, while 3,050 completed passes was a total only bettered by fellow defensive partner, Ethan Ampadu (3,138). 

Matt Grimes - Swansea

Matt Grimes has become a mainstay in the Swansea side after three consecutive loan spells and, under the guidance of Luke Williams, the midfielder perfectly fits the former Notts County manager's possession-based style of play.

Grimes attempted the fifth most passes in the Championship last year (3,714), completing 3,291 of those for a pass accuracy of 88.61%.

He also made 535 passes into the final third, a total only bettered by new Stoke City goalkeeper Viktor Johansson (641) during his time with Rotherham.

Macaulay Langstaff - Millwall

One player that will be looking to make his mark in the Championship this season is new Millwall striker, Macaulay Langstaff.

Signed from Notts County, Langstaff scored 28 times last season, claiming his third Golden Boot in as many years while averaging a goal every 143 minutes.

Despite underperforming his xG by 4.33 and missing the most big chances in League Two last year (29), should he be given the service, he should tally up the goals.

Jack Clarke - Sunderland

After being tipped for a move to the Premier League for much of last year, Jack Clarke could be the difference between a good season, or a great season for Sunderland.

Clarke netted 15 goals in 33 league appearances before an ankle injury halted his scoring streak, missing six games and failing to find the back of the net upon his return. 

The 23-year-old created the seventh-highest number of chances (91) in the division last season, while also completing the most dribbles (148 from 267 attempted), 47 more than Player of the Season Summerville (101).

Wayne Rooney is looking forward to an "exciting project" after he was named head coach of Plymouth Argyle.

Plymouth narrowly avoided relegation from last season's Championship, finishing just a point and a place above 22nd-placed Birmingham City.

Incidentally, Rooney managed Birmingham during the campaign, though he lasted less than three months before being sacked.

Having replaced the fired John Eustace with the club sitting sixth in the Championship, Rooney was dismissed in January after winning just two of his 15 matches at the helm, with Birmingham ultimately going on to be relegated to League One.

Though his time at Birmingham was challenging to say the least, Rooney has high expectations for his new role, saying: "Taking this role at Plymouth Argyle feels like the perfect next step in my career.

"This is an opportunity to be part of an exciting project. I look forward to helping to build a squad of players to play expansive football.

“I have experienced first-hand how talented the existing group of players is here, and also the incredible atmosphere at Home Park. The club is on an exciting long-term journey, with a progressive plan in place. I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of it. 

"I can't wait for the Championship season to start in August."

Plymouth director of football Neil Dewsnip was “absolutely delighted” with his side’s shock 1-0 Championship victory at home to leaders Leicester that eased their relegation worries.

Recalled Mustapha Bundu scored a 21st-minute winner with an angled strike after running onto a defence-splitting ball from Adam Forshaw.

Home goalkeeper Michael Cooper made a string of stops as Leicester piled on the pressure but the hosts held on for maximum points as they moved to 16th and now sit five points clear of the bottom three.

Dewsnip said: “We are absolutely delighted with the result. Made up but we know it’s not done yet. We still have a target and that is to stay in this league.

“Our aim is to stay in the league. It’s been the same since day one when we started in the Championship. It’s been a great night for Plymouth Argyle Football Club.

“We still have three more games to play and more points to play for. The players stuck to the shape we wanted and I am delighted we stuck to the game plan.

“Mustapha’s goal was absolutely terrific. He’s got that finish in him we see every week in training. It does fly over the railings one or two times but credit to him that was a really good goal.

“The fans from the first minute to the last were just at it. I found myself clapping with them at one point.

“I am absolutely delighted the team recorded a 1-0 win for them.

“We have not had a great record defending set -pieces, so we worked on it and got an unbelievable response.

“Thankfully tonight was our night not theirs. I am sure Leicester will have theirs in the future.

“Tomorrow I think I will be watching the scores come in, especially as 24 hours ago we weren’t sitting here with these three points.”

Leicester boss Enzo Maresca took the positives from their second-consecutive loss as they remain level on points with second-placed Ipswich, with Leeds a point further back ahead of their games on Saturday.

He said: “It has been a tough week with two defeats in a row that we did not expect so we are upset.

“The only good thing is that fortunately, it is still in our hands.

“We need to take our chances and start to win games. We have four games to go, three of them at home, with our fans behind us, so hopefully we can finish well.

“At the end – and I have said it many times – the problem is when you don’t create chances. That is when you have to be worried and find a different solution.

“At this moment we are struggling to score. We created chances inside the six-yard box, from outside the box and we struggle.

“But there are moments over the season where we need to win the game and it doesn’t matter which way we need to win the game.

“But as I said, the positive thing is it’s still in our hands in the last four games. Now we cannot lose any more chances we have to try and win those (four) games.

“At this moment we need all our players. For sure, when you don’t win games there is always a why?

“I don’t see a big difference between tonight’s game and when we started the season.

“When we lose you are always looking for the reason. The team are still competing and are still creating chances.

“I don’t know if we need all the four games to win the league but we will still go out to win those four games.

“With one chance they (Plymouth) were clinical and we had more chances and were not clinical.”

Leaders Leicester missed the chance to move clear at the top of the Championship as they suffered a shock 1-0 defeat away to relegation-threatened Plymouth, thanks to Mustapha Bundu’s 21st-minute winner.

Second-placed Ipswich remain level on points with the Foxes, with Leeds a point further back ahead of their games on Saturday with all three clubs currently having four matches left.

Managerless Argyle climbed to 16th on the back of their first home win in seven, under the caretaker management team of director of football Neil Dewsnip and first-team coach Kevin Nancekivell and now sit five points clear of the bottom three.

It only took five minutes for Leicester to test home goalkeeper Michael Cooper as Abdul Fatawu’s thumping right-footed shot – following a flowing move – forcing him into a diving save low down to his left.

Ricardo Pereira was next to test Cooper, following a defence-splitting one-two with Wilfred Ndidi. Again it was all diving Cooper could do to parry the ball away.

Stephy Mavididi latched on to the aerial ball and headed it back across the goal, which resulted in a goalmouth scramble and Argyle eventually clearing the ball.

Mavididi went close with a curling 13th-minute shot after being teed up by playmaker Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall on the edge of the box. The attacking midfielder’s shot beat Cooper for pace but flew just past the post.

Totally against the run of play, Plymouth stunned their visitors with a 21st-minute goal on the counter.

Adam Forshaw intercepted a Leicester attack and released recalled striker Bundu with a superb, measured pass through the middle of the park.

Bundu sprinted forward and – as he got into the penalty box – let fly with a fierce angled drive from the right that beat diving Mads Hermansen and rocketed into the far corner.

Harry Winks fired wide from 20 yards as Argyle failed to clear their lines following another City corner with the half-hour mark approaching.

Argyle’s next best chance fell to Bundu, after good work by Forshaw and substitute Joe Edwards, but this time the striker fired high over.

Cooper did well to save low at his near post as Dewsbury-Hall fired across the face of goal in the 44th minute from close range.

Cooper was again called into action early in the second half as he made another save, while Dewsbury-Hall tried his luck from 25 yards moments later.

Central defender Dan Scarr did well to stoop and head a pacy Fatawu cross from the right away at the near post as Leicester continued to press or an equaliser.

Fatawu’s next cross from the right – after 56 minutes – found striker Patson Daka and his deft near-post touch beat Cooper but spun past the far upright.

Daka’s last action was firing wide when well placed at the far post after 67 minutes. He was replaced by former England international striker Jamie Vardy.

With just over 15 minutes remaining, Wout Faes’ cross from the right was smashed towards goal by Mavididi but again, Cooper was equal to the effort.

Cooper made an even better stop, bravely diving in to deny Vardy as the Leicester striker broke into the box, one-on-one, in the 88th minute but the hosts held on for the much-needed victory.

Leicester missed the chance to go four points clear at the top of the Championship after a 1-0 loss at Millwall.

Ryan Longman’s brilliant top corner finish was the difference for the Lions, who climbed into 17th.

Leicester stayed one point clear at the summit after Leeds moved into second following a goalless draw against Sunderland.

Substitute Milutin Osmajic bagged a quickfire hat-trick as Preston completed an incredible second-half comeback to beat relegation-threatened Huddersfield 4-1.

Josh Koroma handed the Terriers the lead in the 42nd minute, but Preston equalised when Will Keane levelled from the penalty spot.

Osmajic starred from the bench in the final stages, striking twice in three minutes before completing his treble in the second minute of stoppage time to snatch three points and leave Town outside the bottom three on goal difference.

Sheffield Wednesday scored two late goals to salvage a crucial point in their relegation battle after a 2-2 draw against Norwich.

The visitors struck quickly in the opening stages with Josh Sargent putting the Canaries ahead in the 11th minute before Borja Sainz doubled the advantage five minutes later.

However, Wednesday turned the game around in the final 15 minutes with Michael Ihiekwe pulling one back before Michael Smith levelled in the 85th minute to leave them alongside Huddersfield.

Fourth-placed Southampton continued their play-off push with a 2-1 win against Coventry.

Haji Wright missed a penalty for the Sky Blues in the 10th minute and Southampton struck just eight minutes later through Kyle Walker-Peters.

Che Adams doubled the lead just before the break before Jake Bidwell pulled one back for Coventry, who remain just outside the play-off places.

Plymouth earned a valuable point after drawing 1-1 with QPR.

Sam Field put the visitors ahead from a corner, but Argyle are two points above the drop zone as Albert Adomah turned the ball into his own net.

Plymouth director of football Neil Dewsnip praised his side for their “never say die” attitude after claiming a late leveller in a 1-1 Championship draw with relegation-rivals QPR.

Albert Adomah scored an 85th-minute own goal as Argyle piled on the pressure from a later corner after Sam Field had fired Rangers into a 73rd-minute lead following a goalmouth scramble in which home goalkeeper Michael Cooper made two incredible saves.

Dewsnip said: “When QPR scored, the team had to show incredible resilience. ‘Never say die’ is a part of the culture here. The team were superb and the fans fantastic.”

Managerless Argyle slipped to 20th as a result to sit just two points above the relegation zone, but Dewsnip said: “We see it as a point gained at home not an opportunity missed as that’s now four points in two games.

“It means momentum is changing and we go again on Friday. I like to look forward so hopefully we will score more than one on Friday.

“We will look forward rather than backwards. I see the point as a positive point, we are going the right direction again.

“Michael (Cooper) has been injured but he is getting sharper game by game and made some superb saves again tonight, as he did at Rotherham.

“All the players were superb tonight. Michael had a fantastic game, Adam Randell did, Dan Scarr, Lewis Gibson but I could go on and on and name every one of them because I thought they all played their part in a tremendous performance.

“Friday night against Leicester is huge. The players will recover now and then we all go again on Friday.”

QPR head coach Marti Cifuentes – whose side hover four points above the bottom three – said: “It was disappointing not to win as we did enough to win the game. We needed to score a second (goal).

“That’s always going to be the target at 1-0. We not only created chances to win the game but enough to close the game out.

“I have mentioned this not once, not twice that unfortunately, it’s something we have experienced many times this season.

“And then you know if the opposition get a half-chance in this type of situation they will score and that’s exactly what happened.

“For us today it was important for us to react in a strong way after losing and I am delighted to say that’s what we did.

“After we scored we kept pushing hard for a second and I know if we carry on playing this way we are going to win football matches.

“I don’t usually look at the table. Tonight it was about the last five games.

“Now we have four games left and I want to win all of them. We need to keep on pushing, we need more points.

“Our focus is on the next game and we know that Hull will be difficult because they are chasing the play-offs but there are no easy games in this division.

“We have to make sure that collectively we recover from this one and be well prepared to go again.”