Swansea ended Plymouth’s six-match unbeaten home run with a 2-1 win as Wayne Rooney’s side slipped to 23rd in the Championship.
Swansea took a 44th-minute lead through Jay Fulton following Josh Tymon’s cross from the left, with Liam Cullen doubling their lead on the hour.
Mustapha Bundu pulled one back but Argyle were left looking up at all bar Hull in the table.
Tymon gave a hint of what was to come in the fourth minute with a near-post cross, which had to be turned away by recalled Hungarian international central defender Kornel Szucs.
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Swansea’s Jay Fulton scores just before half-time after a defensive error from Plymouth to pile further pressure on Wayne Rooney.
Minutes later Argyle keeper Dan Grimshaw had to be quick off his line to grab a loose ball out of the air after a Swansea shot was deflected up invitingly inside the six-yard box for striker Florian Bianchini.
Tymon’s next cross from the left, after a superb give-and-go by Swansea playmaker Eom Ji-sung, flew across the face of goal, crying out for a finishing touch on 12 minutes.
Argyle countered with Adam Randell enabling Bundu to drive in from the right and let fly with a thumping shot, which needed to be deflected away for a 16th-minute corner.
Argyle’s on-loan Leeds midfielder Darko Gyabi was having an increasing influence on the game and followed up one incisive run from midfield with another, resulting in a booking for City midfielder Josh Key on 20 minutes.
The home side’s next best chance came from a 32nd-minute Randell free-kick headed over and wide by Bundu from distance.
Randell’s 38th-minute free-kick from 18 yards, following Ben Cabango’s foul on Callum Wright, was headed clear by a defender in the wall.
Bundu and Wright were prominent in the home side’s next attack, after Eom was tackled by Randell in the Argyle penalty area.
He sent Bundu away down the right and when he turned inside on the touchline his pass put Wright in on goal, but his first-time ball into the area was easily cleared by the resolute Swans’ defence.
The opener came when Brendan Galloway’s clearance fell invitingly to Fulton, who finished clinically from 10 yards, giving home keeper Grimshaw little chance with the first shot on target in the first half.
Eom went close with a superb 56th-minute shot from the left which flew just wide from 20 yards.
City increased their when Cullen slid in to sweep home at the far post following a measured cross from Myles Peart-Harris from the right.
The visitors were unlucky not to go further ahead from another Peart-Harris cross minutes later but Fulton just failed to get a finishing touch as Argyle’s defence was again caught cold.
Plymouth pulled a goal back in the 79th minute when Bundu headed home from close range after Szucs’ header came back off the bar following Randell’s corner.
The managers
Plymouth’s Wayne Rooney:
“I am frustrated and disappointed.
“I felt we were the better team in the first half and after the first 10 minutes we played some good football.
“Then we get hit by a sucker punch, the goal.
“Second half they put us on the back foot. For their second goal we had three players around the ball but don’t stop the cross coming in.
“When we got the goal back there was some momentum there and we looked as though we might go on and score (again).
“We tried to cause problems for them, we kept pushing and trying to get something out of the game. We can’t really keep relying on getting late goals.
“I thought we did well to nullify (Matt) Grimes who is their main threat, because he’s a really good player.
“We know we are conceding too many goals – a lack of concentration and a bit of naivety has cost us.
“The first goal coming just before half-time makes it difficult for us. Going two down makes it really difficult for us.
“Once you get that first goal you have something to hold on to.
“There’s no denying we know we are going through a difficult time. We are without four key players but tonight was an improvement on the last two results.”
Swansea’s Luke Williams:
“We are still a work in progress and we can see we are creating better chances as we go on.
“We made some good openings in the game. I just think it ebbed and flowed and we lost control a few times and we had to show another side to our game.
“We had to be tough at times. Of course the last 15 minutes is really tough, like a basketball match. I think overall we deserved the victory.
“We created some really good openings early on which didn’t amount to a chance, as well as a few good chances, but you don’t deserve it if you don’t take those chances when they come.
“We stuttered a bit and we lost a bit of control. Over the 90 minutes I thought we were just about value for victory.
“It was a really good delivery from Josh Tymon for the first goal, it was ferocious, really difficult to deal with and that’s why it pops out for Jay Fulton and he was so calm.
“You could snatch at this one so easily or you could hit bodies that are in the way but he tucked it away really calmly.
“It was really good wide play from Myles Peart-Harris for the second because he delivers it brilliantly well and Liam Cullen can play like a 10 or an out-and-out nine, which is really fortunate for me, and he finished like a proper nine.”
