Report | Argyle 1 Leicester City 0
Argyle 1
Bundu 21
Leicester City 0
Argyle gave their survival hopes a major boost with a superb 1-0 victory over arguably the outstanding team of the Sky Bet Championship season.
Leicester City are a seriously slick unit, and they demonstrated their quality under the lights of a sizzling Home Park, but the one moment of genuine finishing prowess came from Mustapha Bundu, steering a wonderful winner on just 21 minutes.
The Pilgrims had to defend for long periods, bodies were thrown on the line on numerous occasions, but a tremendous display of defensive determination earned the reward of three valuable points.
Argyle made five changes from the midweek draw with QPR, Julio Pleguezuelo, Brendan Galloway, Mickel Miller, Adam Forshaw and Bundu replacing Jordan Houghton, Joe Edwards, Callum Wright, Lewis Gibson and Ashley Phillips.
League leaders Leicester suffered a surprise 1-0 defeat at Millwall on Tuesday and the early exchanges was a show of strength from the visitors, forcing Argyle into a protective retreat. Abdul Fatawu was the first Fox to find a room for a shot, pushed away by the strong wrists of Michael Cooper.
Ricardo Periera took up the baton with smart work from the right and another decent effort blocked by Cooper. It was then over to the sprightly Stephy Mavididi, who curled a delicious effort from just outside the box that shaved the far post.
Argyle broke the shackles in the most fantastic fashion and surely Bundu’s finest moment in the famous Green shirt.
Once again, Leicester were probing close to the danger area but the Pilgrims won the ball, Forsahw and Morgan Whittaker worked the ball wide to Bundu, who broke into the box from his sentry on the left wing and curled a sumptuous finish into the bottom corner.
It was a beautiful goal and no chance for Leicester ‘keeper Mads Hermansen.
The Foxes responded with a succession of corners but the Greens dealt with the challenge comfortably, although pre-match plans were disrupted by Miller limping off to be replaced by Edwards.
More good work between Forshaw and Bundu then culminated in the latter firing off target, while the Foxes replied with a deflected cross gobbled up by Cooper and a satisfying first half for the compact and disciplined Greens.
The impressive Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall restarted with a well-struck 22-yarder straight down the throat of Cooper and the next foray, down the right, resulted in a Fatawu cross that was expertly cut out by the perfectly positioned Dan Scarr.
Argyle were camped on the edge of their box, and it took a delightful slick passing move to create room for Fatawu to cut back a low cross toward Patson Daka, who skewed the ball wide from the edge of the six-yard box.
It was a big escape for the Pilgrims, who responded with a lovely ball down the left from Adam Randell picking out Bundu. He delivered a cute reverse ball into the path of Forshaw, but a heavy touch allowed Wout Faes to clear.
Leicester quickly returned with Mavididi twice delivering inviting crosses that just needed a better touch to trouble Cooper. Gibson replaced Bundu for some extra defensive reinforcement on the hour, just before Jamie Vardy entered from fray for the Foxes. The man he replaced, Daka, left the arena after slicing a super chance horribly wide from the angle.
Ben Waine and Houghton replaced Hardie and Forshaw for the final 20 minutes, with the New Zealand international immediately winning the ball in the box and teeing up Whittaker for a scuffed shot that rolled into the arms of Hermansen.
Meanwhile, the noise inside Home Park was beyond incredible.
Argyle reached the final ten minutes with their lead intact, but the stage was set for a Leicester barrage. The Foxes answered the call with plenty of possession and territory, but no breach of the Green wall.
When there was a crack in the defences, Cooper raced off his line to smother Vardy’s dart through the middle. Leicester threw everything at the Greens in stoppage time, but the night belonged to Argyle.
Argyle: 1 Michael Cooper; 2 Bali Mumba, 5 Julio Pleguezuelo, 6 Dan Scarr, 9 Ryan Hardie (23 Ben Waine 71), 10 Morgan Whittaker (capt), 14 Mickel Miller (8 Joe Edwards 34), 15 Mustapha Bundu (17 Lewis Gibson 63), 20 Adam Randell, 22 Brendan Galloway, 27 Adam Forshaw (4 Jordan Houghton 71). Substitutes (not used): 21 Conor Hazard (gk), 11 Callum Wright, 16 Alfie Devine, 26 Ashley Phillips, 35 Freddie Issaka.
Booked: Miller 30, Forshaw 42, Hardie 49, Whittaker 50, Waine 90+1
Leicester City: 30 Mads Hermansen; 2 James Justin, 3 Wout Faes, 8 Harry Winks, 10 Stephy Mavididi, 18 Abdul Fatawu, 20 Patson Daka (9 Jamie Vardy 67), 21 Ricardo Pereira (capt), 22 Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, 23 Jannik Vestergaard, 25 Wilfred Ndidi (26 Dennis Praet 54). Substitutes (not used): 41 Jakub Stolarczyk, 4 Conor Coady, 5 Callum Doyle, 17 Hamza Choudhury, 28 Tom Cannon, 29 Yunus Akgun, 45 Ben Nelson.
Booked: Ndidi 45+3, Vestergaard 69
Referee: Robert Jones
Attendance: 16,861 (1,739)
