Wayne Rooney laments 'bad day' as Plymouth have zero shots and just 22 per cent possession in miserable loss to Leeds

Leeds opened the scoring after a dominant first half-hour, striking with three goals in a seven-minute span that effectively ended the contest before half-time. Dan James began the scoring spree, sending a powerful shot from outside the box into the top corner. Just two minutes later, Joel Piroe added to the lead, taking advantage of Plymouth's defensive disarray to score with a clean finish. The relentless offensive push was capped when Brenden Aaronson slotted in the third goal, marking a clinical finish to a fast-paced attack.

At half-time, Rooney attempted to regroup his squad by switching to a four-man backline in hopes of tightening their defensive structure and regaining control. While this formation change did help Plymouth limit Leeds' scoring opportunities in the second half, it failed to ignite any offensive momentum.

Although Rooney was quick to credit Leeds' strength and discipline, he did not hide his frustration, stating: “It was a crazy five, seven minutes where we conceded three and the game's done. Very disappointed with the result. I think there are elements of luck, certainly on two of the goals. We had to defend the box better than we did for the goals. We brought Andre Gray on hoping we could nick a goal. The longer the second half went on, we knew it was going to be very difficult.

“Leeds are a fantastic team, difficult team to play against. From our point of view we’re trying to improve. We’ve got young lads coming on, it’s a good atmosphere at a big club. Today was a bad day for us, move on and look to the game on Tuesday.”

The loss marked Plymouth's fourth consecutive league game without a win, pushing them into the relegation zone by goal difference, following Luton's 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion. Moreover, it continued a troubling trend for Plymouth, particularly when it comes to scoring away from home. They have now failed to score in seven of their eight away games this season, underscoring the challenge they face in finding offensive consistency.

Time is running out for Rooney at Plymouth and the former striker must turn around their fortunes when they host Portsmouth on Tuesday in their next league fixture.