Rooney praises 'deserved' win over Luton

Argyle’s second win of the season – a second in a row at home – came with a performance that combined many different facets of football, as Wayne Rooney’s team beat Luton Town 3-1.   

The Greens scored after eight minutes through Rami Al Hajj and followed this with some sumptuous football for most of the first half. Substitute Ibrahim Cissoko scored a second goal for the Pilgrims with just over 20 minutes remaining, but Luton immediately pulled one back via Victor Moses.  

The visitors racked up a series of corners in the game, especially the second half, and put Argyle under pressure at times, but the resilient Pilgrims held strong, and Cissoko grabbed his second goal in stoppage time to cement victory.  

Head Coach Rooney declared himself pleased with his team’s all-round game, combining slick passing football with a steely determination to keep the ball out of their own net.  

“I thought the lads were excellent, performance wise,” said Rooney. “I thought we had some really good chances, could have scored more goals. 

"I think we deserved to win tonight. In the first half, I thought we had a lot of control of the game. Second half, we battled and then had our moments.  

“I was delighted with the resilience we showed defensively. We had to face a lot of set-pieces; Luton are a big danger at set-pieces. We showed character, getting first contacts, then blocks at the end of that. That was a big, big plus for us tonight.  

“We got more bodies in the box and created better chances in better areas. Thankfully, we took three of them. The first two from Rami and Ibs were two fantastic goals, and then Ibs’ [second goal] it's one of those scruffy finishes which is very difficult for keepers. 

“I think Gibbo (Lewis Gibson) and Kornel [Szucs] in particular were fantastic. I think they're creating a really good partnership. Defensively, very good, but also calm and composed on the ball. I'm delighted with them, but not just them, the work the lads are doing in front of them helps as well.  

“The foundation of what we want is working hard, defending well. We know we're going to have to face difficult moments and [it’s about] getting through them and then allowing the attacking players to go and win us the games. 

“I think everyone is starting to see what we're trying to do. The players are understanding it more - games are helping with that - but it's always nice when you get results from that.” 

Rooney chose to leave Cissoko on the bench in the beginning against Luton, but was proved correct when the Dutchman had a huge impact after coming on just before the hour mark for Michael Obafemi, who himself played a major part in Argyle’s opening goal.  

On the other flank, Morgan Whittaker played 90 minutes, and while not having any direct goal involvements, impressed his gaffer with his commitment and ability.   

Rooney said: “I thought Morgan Whittaker tonight, he didn't get his goal, but I think anyone watching the game tonight can clearly see how hard he's working. The amount of tackles he put in; his work rate was fantastic tonight. 

“As an attacking player, when I played myself, if I didn't score, I wanted to come off the pitch knowing that I've contributed to the game and helped the team win.   

“I said to Ibs yesterday: ‘you're going to come on and win us the game.’ 

“As disappointing as it is, and as hard as it is to leave players out, you have a vision of how you see the game going, and I felt the last 30 minutes would be key. Having Ibs, with that energy coming off the bench when the game might be a little bit open, he can come on and show his magic. Thankfully he's done that tonight. 

“It's great when you do that, but I'm sure he'll want to be on the pitch from the start next time!” 

At the other end of the field, another switch showed Rooney’s willingness to make tactical changes, as he sent on Brendan Galloway at half-time, in place of Bali Mumba. Galloway’s presence in the second half, playing against his old side, helped Argyle over the line. After the game, Rooney explained his reasoning, and had praise for how well Mumba has performed this season.  

“I think Bali had a difficult four or five minutes,” said Rooney. “Sometimes you can try to let a player play through it and then you're taking a bit of a risk. I just felt, that happens, that's fine, and I have had many halves of football where I didn't play at my best.  

“Bali’s been fantastic for us, there’s no doubt about his ability. He wasn’t that bad, but I just felt that taking him out of the firing line, bringing Brendan on [was the right thing to do] and added a little bit of height to the team as well.”