Plymouth Argyle 1-0 Leicester City: The Foxes' promotion hopes are dashed by the Pilgrims

Mustapha Bundu's goal was just his third since joining Argyle in the summer and his first in more than four months

Plymouth Argyle dealt a blow to league leaders Leicester City's automatic promotion hopes and gave their own survival hopes a huge boost with a 1-0 win at Home Park.

After being outplayed in the first 20 minutes, Argyle took the lead when Mustapha Bundu ended an excellent counter-attack with a calm right-footed finish.

Leicester's Patson Daka had two fantastic chances to equalize in the first 20 minutes of the second half, but the hosts stubbornly held off the Foxes, who grew increasingly frustrated.

Argyle keeper Michael Cooper did well to deny substitute Jamie Vardy in the 87th minute as the visitors failed to convert late pressure into a goal.

Leicester lost a game in a row for the fourth time this season

The defeat for the Foxes – their second consecutive away defeat after Tuesday's defeat at Millwall – means they remain top of the table on 88 points.

They are level on points with Ipswich Town and one ahead of Leeds United and both teams have chances of seeing off the Foxes on Saturday as Leeds host Blackburn and Ipswich host Middlesbrough.

Since Ian Foster was sacked as head coach, Argyle are now unbeaten in all three games and have taken seven points from nine.

The win sees Plymouth – under the interim leadership of director of football Neil Dewsnip and first team coach Kevin Nancekivell – move from 20th to 16th, five points clear of the relegation zone.

Leicester – who found out earlier in the day would not suffer a point deduction this season due to financial problems – showed their intention early on when Daka had a goal ruled out for offside in the sixth minute, before Ricardo Pereira forced a good save from Cooper two minutes later after a fine one-two with Wilfried Ndidi.

The Foxes dominated possession but it was Argyle who took the lead when two of five players moved into the side following Tuesday's draw with QPR.

Adam Forshaw's excellent pass from midfield sent Bundu flying down the left wing and the Sierra Leone striker cut inside and found the bottom corner, with Wout Faes parrying it.

Leicester continued to dominate possession and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Harry Winks went close from distance but struggled to convert their possession into meaningful chances.

And as the noise level increased at Home Park, the hosts could have taken an even further lead five minutes before half-time when Morgan Whittaker and the impressive Forshaw played a fine one-two on the edge of the box before the former fired his shot high over the bar.

The hosts started the second half with higher intensity as they increased the pressure on the Foxes – but it was Leicester who should have equalized 10 minutes into the half when Daka somehow shot wide from close range after Abdul Fatawu arrived on the sideline on the right.

Substitute Dennis Praet headed the visitors' way shortly afterwards before Daka wasted another great chance when he hit a Praet shot past the far post from four meters out.

Leicester were trapped in the home half for long stretches but failed to find the decisive pass as the hosts put everything on the line and forced the Foxes into errors.

Vardy had the best performance in the closing stages when he was played through, but Cooper broke away from his line to suffocate the former England striker as Argyle claimed a memorable victory that received a deafening welcome from their fans, who now feel have thought they could stay even higher after a turbulent three months of Foster's reign in which they lost the table.

Neil Dewsnip, Plymouth Argyle's director of football, told ` Sport:

“I am very happy. We knew exactly how difficult it would be.”

“We knew we were going to be playing against an outstanding possession football team, but we had a game plan and luckily it paid off.”

“It was our night and I’m happy for our players, they worked incredibly hard, harder than they probably thought they could.”

“We know it’s not done yet, so we’ll work really hard in the next three games to get more points.”

Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca told ` Sport:

“It was a tough week, two defeats in a row that we didn't expect.

“We are upset, the only good thing is that fortunately it remains in our hands.”

“We have to take advantage of our chances to win our games.

“We are struggling to score goals at the moment, but we have created chances inside the six-yard box, in the penalty area and outside the penalty area.”

“Tonight was one of those games where it didn’t matter which way, we had to win the game.”

“But the positive thing is that in the last four games it is still in our hands.”

Lineups

Plymouth

formation 3-4-2-1

1cooper

5Pleguezuelo6scar22Galloway

2In the room27Forshaw20Randell14Müller

10Whittaker15A jacket

9Hardy

• 1cooper
• 5Pleguezuelo
• 6scar
• 22Galloway
• 2In the room
• 27ForshawBooked for 41 minutesReplaced byHoughtonat 71'protocol
• 20Randell
• 14MüllerBooked for 30 minutesReplaced byEdwardsat 34'protocol
• 10WhittakerBooked for 50 minutes
• 15A jacketReplaced byGibsonat 63'protocol
• 9HardyBooked for 49 minutesReplaced byWayneat 71'protocolBooked for 90 minutes

Substitute

• 4Houghton
• 8thEdwards
• 11Wright
• 16Divine
• 17Gibson
• 21Danger
• 23Wayne
• 26Phillips
• 35Isaac

Leicester

formation 4-2-3-1

30Hermansen

21Ricardo Pereira3Field23Vestergaard2Justin

8thWinks25patience

18Fatawa22Dewsbury Hall10videos

20Click

• 30Hermansen
• 21Ricardo Pereira
• 3Field
• 23VestergaardBooked for 69 minutes
• 2Justin
• 8thWinks
• 25patienceBooked for 45 minutesReplaced byTalkat 54'protocol
• 18Fatawa
• 22Dewsbury Hall
• 10videos
• 20ClickReplaced byVardyat 67'protocol

Substitute

• 4Coady
• 5Doyle
• 9Vardy
• 17Choudhury
• 26Talk
• 28cannon
• 29Akgun
• 41Carpenter
• 45Nelson

Referee: Robert Jones

Number of visitors: 16,861

Live text

1. The match ends: Plymouth Argyle 1, Leicester City 0.

2. The second half ends, Plymouth Argyle 1, Leicester City 0.

3. Foul by Abdul Fatawu (Leicester City).

4. Brendan Galloway (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

5. Foul by Abdul Fatawu (Leicester City).

6. Brendan Galloway (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

7. Attempt failed. Jannik Vestergaard (Leicester City)'s header from the center of the penalty area goes past the right. Assisted by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall with a cross from a corner.

8. Corner, Leicester City. Indebted to Julio Pleguezuelo.

9. Ben Waine (Plymouth Argyle) is shown the yellow card for a hard foul.

10. Harry Winks (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the opponent's half.

11. Foul by Ben Waine (Plymouth Argyle).

12. Abdul Fatawu (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

13. Foul by Ben Waine (Plymouth Argyle).

14. Attempt failed. Harry Winks (Leicester City) tries with his left foot from outside the box, but the ball misses to the right after a corner.

15. Corner, Leicester City. Goal conceded by Adam Randell.

16. Attempt blocked. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Leicester City)'s left-footed shot from the left side of the penalty area is blocked. Supported by Stephy Mavididi.

17. Attempt saved. Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) left footed shot from the center of the box is saved in the center of the goal. Supported by Stephy Mavididi.

18. Delay over. You are ready to move on.

19. Game delayed due to injury to Julio Pleguezuelo (Plymouth Argyle).

20. Corner, Leicester City. Indebted to Julio Pleguezuelo.