Managerless Plymouth Argyle reacted well to the New Year’s Eve departure of boss Wayne Rooney as the Championship’s bottom club twice came from behind to draw with Bristol City.
The visitors twice led with goals from Anis Mehmeti and Jason Knight and, having taken just two points out of a possible 12 prior to Christmas, looked on course for a third straight win of the festive period.
But Rami Al Hajj equalised for the first time just after the break then, after City had gone back in front, defender Julio Pleguezuelo steered in a close-range first goal of the season.
In the wake of Rooney’s exit, it was a subdued opening half hour at Home Park until City woke the game up with a 32nd-minute goal.
Max Bird’s defence-splitting pass was latched onto by Nahki Wells, who reached the ball just as Conor Hazard came out to the edge of the box, squared to his left to take out the Plymouth keeper – and a suspiciously offside-looking Mehmeti sidefooted home from 15 yards.
It was the ninth goal of the season for the London-born Albanian – and his third in two games over the festive period after scoring twice in the 3-0 home win over Portsmouth on Sunday.
And it was also his third against Plymouth this season, after netting twice in a 4-0 home win when the sides last met at the end of November.
The hosts had looked like strangers in the first half, but within five minutes of the restart, they were level.
City really should have been 2-0 up straight after the break when, from George Tanner’s right-wing cross, Wells’ goalbound right-foot shot was brilliantly saved by Hazard diving to his left.
Instead, it was soon 1-1 as Whittaker got to the right byline, crossed deep and the unmarked Al Hajj kept his cool to turn home a low right-foot shot on the full.
But City were back in front when Scott Twine threaded through to Knight and he dinked home a neat right-foot chip over Hazard as the home keeper came out.
That looked like being that – until a minute into stoppage time when City made a pig’s ear of defending Adam Randell’s inswinging right-wing free-kick and Pleguezuelo kept his cool to acrobatically hook the ball into the net.
