BRENTFORD 0-1 PLYMOUTH ARGYLE: Morgan Whittaker scored a wonderful late goal to send the Championship’s bottom-placed team into the FA Cup fourth round at expense of Premier League disappointments
Morgan Whittaker produced a moment of magic to guide Championship basement dwellers Plymouth to a shock win and continue Brentford’s miserable Cup run.
Thomas Frank’s Bees are yet to make it past the fourth round since earning promotion to the Premier League.
And, with their team already destined to finish mid-table, the Dane will rue resting his big guns here as a reshaped attack fluffed their lines.
Regardless, this was really about Argyle’s newfound defiance midway through a brutal campaign. With new head coach Miron Muslic watching from the stands having been appointed yesterday morning, they performed with a resilience that was absent throughout Wayne Rooney’s miserable, brief time in charge.
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Club-record signing Michael Baidoo, making his debut up front having arrived from Swedish club Elfsborg, may have had to feed off scraps in a hard-working hour before being substituted.
And before Whittaker’s weaving dribble in from the left for the winner, they failed to make stand-in Brentford keeper Hakon Valdimarsson produce a save.
But they defended brilliantly from start to finish and looked the opposite of a soft-centred team that had been conceding at an average of more than two per game.
Caretaker boss Kevin Nancekivell, who will remain at the club as part of Muslic’s back-room staff, oversaw only a second league clean sheet away to Stoke a week earlier. And they remained unbreakable here – albeit assisted by Brentford’s lack of ruthlessness.
Goalkeeper Conor Hazard, who was not overworked, made early long-range stops from Fabio Carvalho and Kevin Schade.
Yehor Yarmoliuk had an effort bravely blocked by Brendan Galloway and Rico Henry, making his first appearance since injuring a knee 16 months ago, sent a low drive into a crowd of green shirts gathered in the penalty area as a scrappy opening period wore on.
Frank called on top man Bryan Mbeumo to boost Brentford after an hour. And Yoane Wissa and Nathan Collins entered soon after with the former denied by a fine Adam Randell block before the latter watched his header from the ensuing corner cleared.
But then came Whittaker’s bit of quality. He shifted in from left about 25 yards out from goal with no sense of imminent danger for Brentford.
Except their defending was desperately slack with no one seemingly fussed about closing the winger down. And his left-footed finish was nestled beautifully into the bottom left corner, affording the hitherto inactive Hakon Valdimarsson no chance.
With 14 more minutes, including six added on, left to fashion an equaliser Brentford failed to muster a response of note.
That ensured another meek January exit from a competition they should be treating with far greater importance as Plymouth now look to channel their belief into an unlikely survival mission.
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