Jay Fulton celebrating scoring for Swansea vs Plymouth
Goals from Jay Fulton and Liam Cullen saw Swansea beat Plymouth
Wayne Rooney's Plymouth Argyle continued their slump in the first match since Mike Phelan's arrival at Home Park.
Former Manchester United assistant manager Phelan was reunited with ex-United striker Rooney in Devon after Argylr number two Pete Shuttleworth left for personal reasons. The 62-year-old linked up with Rooney ahead of Tuesday's match against Swansea City, but the change of personnel couldn't inspire a change in fortunes on the pitch.
Plymouth have yet to win away from home in the Championship this term, so there may have been cautious optimism ahead of Swansea's visit. Mustapha Bundu came close to breaking the deadlock when he hit the post, but any early hope was extinguished just before half-time as Jay Fulton took advantage of some weak defending to put the visitors in front.
Swansea doubled their lead around the hour mark, with Liam Cullen sliding in to turn Myles Peart-Harris' cross beyond Plymouth keeper Daniel Grimshaw. Bundu headed home from close range to reduce the deficit 11 minutes from time, but an equaliser didn't follow.
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"I felt first half we were the better team actually," Rooney said after the latest defeat. "I thought after 10 minutes we played some really good stuff. We had a few chances, a few half-chances, then we get hit with the sucker-punch of them scoring just before half-time.
"It's very disappointing because a lot of the stuff we have been working on over the last 10 days has been stopping crosses, but we allow the cross to come in too easily, a poor clearance and they score. Swansea are a good team and second half they start to put us on the back foot, then again for the second goal we had three players around the ball, we don't stop the cross and don't defend the box well enough.
"From there we get a little bit of momentum back. We pushed for the equaliser but just can't get it. It was an improvement on the last two games but tonight was about the result and we didn't get that."
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The match was Mike Phelan's first on Plymouth's coaching staff
Plymouth's defeat saw them fall a place to 23rd in the table. They dropped behind Portsmouth on goal difference, with the newly promoted side drawing at home to Norwich, and could fall to the bottom of the table if Hull beat Watford on Wednesday.
Things aren't about to get much easier for Rooney's team, either. They travel to high-flying Sheffield United in their next match, followed by a home meeting with a Middlesbrough side very much in the play-off picture.
Swansea, meanwhile, extended their unbeaten run to four games with the win. "It speaks volumes for the group, the strength of character, to be able to go away from home and be able to win at tough places," manager Luke Williams said after the victory.
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