Plymouth Argyle continued their resurgence with a third successive win, inflicting a first defeat of 2026 on League One leaders Cardiff City with an emphatic 5-2 victory in a pulsating contest at Home Park.
Argyle scored three of the four goals in an astonishing six-minute spell of a whirlwind first half to lead their shellshocked opponents 3-1. Lorent Tolaj and Bim Pepple struck twice apiece across the afternoon, with Omari Kellyman scoring both Cardiff replies and Mathias Ross adding a late fifth to end the Bluebirds' lengthy unbeaten run.
A Frantic Opening Sets the Tone
Both sides were relegated from the Championship last season but have experienced contrasting campaigns in the third tier. Cardiff had spent most of the season at the summit as the division's top scorers and free-spirited entertainers, while Plymouth were in the relegation zone as recently as last month, a gulf starkly illustrated when the Bluebirds won the reverse fixture 4-0.