Plymouth Argyle climbed to the top of League One with a 2-0 away victory over Leyton Orient on Friday night. Goals from Aribim Pepple and Will Evans in a four-minute second-half surge secured the three points that sent them to the summit on 16 points from nine games.
Pepple broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute, heading home from close range after a Harvey White corner was worked to the back post. Will Evans doubled the lead just four minutes later, meeting a Ronan Curtis cross with a powerful header. The quick double strike transformed a match that had been goalless at half-time.
Manager Tom Cleverley set his side up in a 4-4-2 formation, with Murphy Cooper in goal behind a back four of Joe Edwards, Macaulay Gillesphey, Dan Scarr and Brendan Galloway. They weathered some early pressure from the hosts, who enjoyed 57% of possession, but grew stronger after the interval. The team's recent form now reads four wins from their last five matches.
Key moments and build-up
Both goals originated from set-piece situations. White's in-swinging corner led to the opener, while Curtis was instrumental in the build-up to both, providing the assist for Evans's header. Bradley Ibrahim, who set up Pepple's goal, almost added a third moments later but fired his effort wide. Plymouth created 20 shots in total, with seven on target, and forced seven corners.
Discipline and defensive solidity
Despite committing 16 fouls and receiving two yellow cards, Plymouth kept a vital clean sheet. Goalkeeper Cooper made four saves to ensure the defence held firm. The result leaves them with a goal difference of +5, having scored 16 times this season.
Cleverley made four substitutions in the final 20 minutes to see out the win, introducing Matthew Sorinola, Caleb Watts, Xavier Amaechi and Jack Mackenzie. After the match, the manager focused on the need for consistency. "In my opinion, it's one really good performance in 46 and next week it's important we have another good performance," Cleverley said.
The team now prepares to host AFC Wimbledon at Home Park next Saturday, looking to consolidate their position at the top. Pepple, the club's top scorer with four goals this term, will be aiming to add to his tally. Check the full schedule ahead of that match on our fixtures list.
