Peterborough United 5
Clarke-Harris pen 16, 64
Kyprianou 19
Burrows 54
Taylor 78

Argyle 2
Earley 36
Gillesphey 58

Argyle suffered a rare afternoon to forget in Sky Bet League One, as they went down to a heavy defeat at Peterborough United.

The Posh scored twice early, and in quick succession, Jonson Clarke-Harris despatching a penalty and Hector Kyprianou from close range. Saxon Earley gave the Pilgrims a lifeline with one back before the break.

Harrison Burrows restored the two-goal advantage, Macaulay Gillesphey quickly had the Greens back in the game, but further goals from Clarke-Harris and Jack Taylor sealed their fate.

Argyle manager Steven Schumacher made four changes from the draw with Fleetwood Town last weekend, with Matt Butcher, Sam Cosgrove, Bali Mumba and Earley given their chance to impress.

The glorious sunshine at London Road disguised a bitterly cold breeze but James Wilson was warm enough, and alert enough, to make an excellent covering challenge on Clarke-Harris inside the second minute.

Argyle’s first foray came from Callum Wright, surging into the penalty are before being blocked by the retreating home defence. After a spell of midfield sparring, referee Scott Oldham intervened by awarding the Posh a penalty for an apparent push by Earley on Kwame Poku.

Clarke-Harris took responsibility and calmly rolled the ball into the bottom corner, denying Callum Burton his fourth consecutive penalty save after the midweek heroics against Cheltenham in the Papa Johns Trophy.

One became two within three minutes. A cross floated to the back post was volleyed goalwards by Ephron Mason-Clark and Burton made a terrific initial save but the loose ball fell kindly for Kyprianou to prod into an empty net.

The Pigrims almost replied instantly, as Mumba clipped a ball into the area and Wilson beat goalkeeper Will Norris to the ball, but the angle was too tight for a meaningful shot on goal.

Poku was next to pose a problem for the Greens, bursting inside from the right flank for a vicious left-foot drive saved by Burton, and Schumacher responded to a difficult half-hour by making two early substitutions, with Danny Mayor and Finn Azaz replacing Butcher and Wright.

The bold move worked brilliantly and immediately, as Mumba made a fine run down the right and his low cross was met perfectly by the run of Earley, calmly steering the ball beyond Norris to restore Argyle hope.

From a position of comfort, the Posh were under the cosh, Azaz whipping over a lovely cross that was well held by Norris. Argyle’s momentum almost met with a painful end, as a floated cross eluded everyone apart from Mason-Clark at the far post, but Burton produced a superb point-blank save.

The second half opened with a dangerous cross from Ryan Hardie, on his 100th appearance for Argyle, acrobatically cleared by Josh Knight. At the other end, a fine recovery tackle from Nigel Lonwijk took the pace off a tight-angle attempt from Clarke-Harris, which was tipped over by Burton.

Unfortunately, there was no stopping the next Peterborough attack, as Poku slipped a pass into the right channel for Burrows to stroke a comfortable low finish into the bottom corner.

Argyle came back again, Gillesphey fizzing over a lovely cross from the left and Cosgrove was desperately unlucky to see his near-post volley bounce clear off the far post.

The Greens would not be denied and it was game back on when Azaz curled over a corner with pace and Gillesphey rose highest to glance a delightful header into the far corner. Argyle were suddenly swarming all over their hosts and the Green Army making an almighty noise.

Another Azaz corner was met by Cosgrove but straight into the arms of Norris and the game turned away from the Pilgrims once again from the next attack, Clarke Harris forcing the ball over the line after a low cross from the left.

Joe Edwards and Niall Ennis replaced Earley and Gillesphey, as the Pilgrims, effectively playing with a front five, sought to recover from another setback. Jordan Houghton for Jay Matete was the final Argyle change.

A searing 20-yard drive from Cosgrove was parried wide by Norris before Houghton volleyed over from a position after a nod-down by Cosgrove. Ennis was then denied by Norris after wonderful play from Mayor, as the Greens carved through their hosts.

Despite the brave Argyle effort, Taylor wrapped up the points for Peterborough with a low finish on 78 minutes and the Greens will have a week to regroup before the visit of Charlton Athletic.

Peterborough: 1 Will Norris; 4 Ronnie Edwards, 5 Josh Knight, 8 Jack Taylor, 9 Jonson Clarke-Harris (capt) (39 Kabongo Tshimanga 87), 10 Ephron Mason-Clark, 11 Kwame Poku (3 Dan Butler 76), 15 Nathaniel Ogbeta, 16 Harrison Burrows (18 Oliver Norburn 76), 22 Hector Kyprianou, 23 Joe Ward (24 Ben Thompson 59). Substitutes (not used): 28 Will Blackmore (gk), 6 Frankie Kent, 12 Nathan Thompson.

Booked: Kyprianou 21

Argyle: 25 Callum Burton; 3 Macaulay Gillepshey (11 Niall Ennis 65), 5 James Wilson (capt), 7 Matt Butcher (18 Finn Azaz 33), 9 Ryan Hardie, 16 Sam Cosgrove, 17 Bali Mumba, 21 Nigel Lonwijk, 24 Saxon Earley (8 Joe Edwards 65), 26 Callum Wright (10 Danny Mayor 33), 28 Jay Matete (4 Jordan Houghton. 71). Substitutes (not used): 32 Adam Parkes (gk), 2 James Bolton.

Booked: Cosgrove 41, Wilson 45

Attendance: 8,365 (1,511 away)

Referee: Scott Oldham