'How much of a fine you paying?' Wayne Rooney teased by Plymouth players after Man Utd legend is sent off in Blackburn win

Rooney’s dismissal came in the 86th minute when Blackburn equalised through Joe Rankin-Costello. The former striker was adamant that a foul had been committed in the lead-up to the goal, particularly on Ryan Hardie, and made his frustration known to the fourth official Jacob Miles. Miles felt that Rooney had been too aggressive in his protest and called over referee James Linington, who gave the manager the marching orders.

However, Plymouth roared back into the match with a late winner through Morgan Whittaker which lifted Rooney's spirits. After the final whistle, he emerged from the tunnel and joined his players on the pitch to celebrate the win with the Home Park crowd. According to BBC Sport, the players then started teasing him about the potential fine for his dismissal with one of them even heard asking, "How much of a fine are you paying, gaffer?"

Plymouth Argyle’s assistant head coach, Pete Shuttleworth, was quick to defend Rooney's reaction, emphasizing the passion and commitment the former England striker brings to the team. Speaking after the game, Shuttleworth noted, "We were disappointed with their goal, I think that was evident and we could have easily gone under at that point. We didn’t we went down the other end and had a couple of chances and Morgan pops up with a header in the middle of the goal which was fantastic. Wayne’s still passionate. He has got that passion. We were disappointed there wasn’t a foul given for the foul on Ryan Hardie leading up to the goal."

The victory against Blackburn was Plymouth’s third consecutive win at home, following triumphs over Sunderland and Luton Town. A delighted Shuttleworth added: "To win three games against three good teams – Sunderland who were top, Luton just down from the Premier League and Blackburn who were unbeaten until this week – is great, especially going into the international break. I thought it was excellent from start to finish. To win a game like that is really exciting and the fans go home really pleased. I thought we were outstanding and fully deserved to win."

The win against Blackburn lifted Plymouth to 14th in the standings and they will be back in action against Cardiff City after the international break on October 19. However, Rooney will have to take his place in the stands with Shuttleworth in charge of the proceedings.