Argyle 0

Stoke City 1

Manhoef 83

Argyle are still searching for their first league win of the Sky Bet Championship season, after a 1-0 home defeat by Stoke City.  

In an open game that threatened numerous goals, it was a sole strike that won it for the visitors. Million Manhoef, who scored when the sides met in April in Staffordshire, was on the mark again, grabbing a goal with seven minutes of the 90 to play. 

The game had been a seesaw encounter, with chances aplenty at each end, but ultimately one moment of quality made the difference.  

Compared to the side that took to the field a week previously, Argyle’s team featured two changes. Kornel Szucs was starting a league game for the first time since his summer move, having previously played twice in the Carabao Cup. He played alongside Lewis Gibson at centre-back, with Bali Mumba and Joe Edwards completing the back four in front of goalkeeper Conor Hazard.  

Jordan Houghton was also into the team, and he featured at the base of a three-man midfield that resembled the setup seen at MATRADE Loftus Road seven days prior, with Adam Randell and Darko Gyabi allowed the freedom to get further forward. To their outside, Ibrahim Cissoko and Morgan Whittaker flanked forward Ryan Hardie.  

Stoke’s team featured Ashley Phillips, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur. Phillips played the second half of last season borrowed to Argyle and was named Young Player of the Season for his contributions. This was Phillips’ league debut for Stoke, having signed a week prior, and having played in midweek cup action.  

Said game in the week had seen Stoke win 5-0 at Middlesbrough, but their league form brought them to Home Park on the back of two defeats, against Watford and West Bromwich Albion, following an opening day victory over Coventry City.  

The start to the game was sprightly. The noise in the stands felt a level above the norm, very possibly because of the presence of former Argyle boss Steven Schumacher in the opposing dugout for the first time since his departure from Home Park in December.   

The decibel level seemed to influence the temperature on the pitch, with action coming at both ends in the opening 15 minutes. Argyle were brightest to begin with, with one Whittaker effort easily seized upon by Stoke goalkeeper Viktor Johansson, but another shot shortly afterwards asked stern questions of the Potters’ stopper, who saved high to his left.  

Stoke’s first real gambit was a break from an Argyle attack, with Manhoef racing clear from his own territory. His shot was saved well, low down, by Hazard, who followed up by stopping the follow-up.  

The same combo – Hazard foiling Manhoef – was evident again on 20 minutes, when Wouter Burger’s beautifully crafted ball was brought down well by his fellow Dutchman, but Hazard was out smartly to smother.  

Stoke had begun to look the side more likely to break the deadlock, and certainly seemed to have more of the threatening possession, but this allowed Argyle their own opportunities to look dangerous on the break. From one incursion the Pilgrims got Cissoko moving on the left, and he played inside for the on-running Gyabi. His shot was blocked; a ball to the right to Whittaker looked a better option.  

Argyle’s number 10 was spurned again shortly after. It was a chance Whittaker instigated, showing quick feet and power to drive in from the right flank, then releasing Cissoko. The latter’s shot was not terribly wide of goal, but the position Whittaker had advance to, just inside the area, seemed to be crying out for a cutback.  

Argyle certainly finished the half the stronger, having seemingly ridden Stoke’s better period, but there was time for Junior Tchamadeu to blast over from a good position having advanced from right-back, to remind the Greens of the threat their visitors posed.  

The next reminder came within a minute of the restart, Tchamadeu twinkletoes-ing his way into the box, and only halted by a timely - and brave - Houghton intervention.  

The back-and-forth continued. Argyle won a left-wing corner after Cissoko’s cross-shot was deflected out and replays only muddied exactly how Randell’s whipped delivery evaded all, and ended up as a goal-kick. Not long after, Lewis Koumas skimmed down Stoke’s left-wing, but fortunately for Argyle his lay-off to Mmaee left the latter too much to do, and his eventual shot was off-target.  

Cissoko brought a save out of Johansson once more before Argyle Head Coach Wayne Rooney looked to his bench for the double switch, bringing on Michael Obafemi and Muhamed Tijani to create a new-look front pairing.  

The game lulled a little, both sides guilty of not really finding the right ball. Stoke made a triple sub that included, among others, one former Pilgrim – Phillips – going off, and two coming on, in the form of Niall Ennis and Ben Gibson.  

Soon after, Obafemi wriggled into space and made Johansson push an effort over, before Manhoef’s bête noire Hazard stopped Million for the umpteenth time.  

He could not, though, get his hands on a low drive from Manhoef in the 83^rd minute.  It was a goal from, frankly, Stoke’s best player on the day, and it was a powerful effort, as he cut in from the right and smashed through legs to find the net.   

Argyle had time to search for an equaliser, their best opportunities coming from numerous set-pieces, but Stoke stayed resolute, and saw the game out.  

Argyle: 21 Conor Hazard, 2 Bali Mumba, 4 Jordan Houghton (27 Adam Forshaw, 77), 6 Kornel Szucs, 7 Ibrahim Cissoko (15 Mustapha Bundu, 77), 8 Joe Edwards (capt), 9 Ryan Hardie (26 Muhamed Tijani, 61), 10 Morgan Whittaker, 17 Lewis Gibson, 18 Darko Gyabi (14 Michael Obafemi, 61) 20 Adam Randell. Substitutes: 31 Dan Grimshaw (gk), 3 Nathanael Ogbeta, 5 Julio Pleguezuelo, 11 Callum Wright, 44 Victor Palsson.  

Booked: Forshaw 90.  

Stoke: 1 Viktor Johansson, 6 Wouter Berger, 10 Bae Jun-Ho (2 Lynden Gooch, 84), 11 Lewis Koumas (14 Niall Ennis, 74), 16 Ben Wilmot, 17 Eric Bocat, 19 Ryan Mmaee (30 Sol Sidibe, 74) 22 Junior Tchamadou, 24 Andrew Moran (41 Jaden Dixon, 88), 26 Ashley Phillips (23 Ben Gibson, 74) , 42 Million Manhoef. Substitutes: 34 Frank Fielding (gk), 37 Emre Tezgei, 46 William Smith, 48 Keke Jeffers.  

Booked: Bocat 14, Burger 31, Wilmot 67. 

Attendance: 16,934 (1,662 away) 

Referee: Oliver Langford