The Pilgrims beat Cardiff 5-2 at Home Park with Bim Pepple and Lorent Tolaj both scoring twice and Mathias Ross also on target
14:51, 21 Feb 2026Updated 18:31, 21 Feb 2026
Argyle striker Bim Pepple scores with a header during the League One game against Cardiff City at Home Park on 21 February 2026- Photo: Dave Rowntree/PPAUK
Plymouth Argyle swept aside League One leaders Cardiff City with a superb display of attacking football to thrash them 5-2 and make it three wins in a week for the resurgent Pilgrims.
The match exploded into action with five goals in 15 minutes towards the end of the first half, with Lorent Tolaj and Bim Pepple getting the first two of those for Argyle.
Omari Kellyman, Cardiff’s 20-year-old loan signing from Chelsea, replied for the Welsh visitors almost immediately, only for the red-hot Pepple to score again with his eighth goal in the last nine games.
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The incredible drama continued as Kellyman curled a shot high into the net in the 43rd minute as a breathless first half ended with the Pilgrims 3-2 up.
Argyle might have expected to come under a lot of pressure in the second half and while Cardiff did cause them some anxious moments the home side defended strongly and with great discipline.
The Pilgrims then went 4-2 up when a confidently-taken penalty from Tolaj after he had been fouled, and the outcome of the match was put beyond any doubt when Mathias Ross headed home a Ronan Curtis corner in the 81st minute.
This was superb stuff from the Pilgrims, whose run of nine wins from their last 13 league games gives them genuine hope of surging into a play-off position between now and the end of the season.
Tolaj returned to Argyle’s starting line-up for the visit of table-topping Cardiff for the first time since he suffered a dead leg in the 1-0 home win against Luton Town on January 24.
The Swiss striker had missed three matches and was then an unused substitute when the Pilgrims won 4-0 at Blackpool before making his comeback as a second half substitute in the 3-1 defeat of Leyton Orient in east London on Tuesday.
Tolaj came into the side for Owen Dale, who was named among the substitutes, while Brendan Wiredu replaced the injured Herbie Kane, as he had done off the bench against Orient.
With Conor Hazard in goal, the Pilgrims’ back four was Joe Edwrds, Mathias Ross, Alex Mitchell and Wes Harding, the loan signing from Millwall.
Malachi Boateng and Wiredu were in central midfield, with Ronan Curtis and Caleb Watts providing attacking support for Tolaj and his strike partner Pepple.
Argyle’s substitutes also included defender Julio Pleguezuelo, who returned to duty after not playing since the 3-0 home defeat of Burton Albion on January 4 due to a calf injury.
Cardiff arrived at Home Park unbeaten in 12 league games since losing 2-1 away to Lincoln City on December 20, and they had won eight of those matches to put themselves in pole position for promotion to the Championship.
The Bluebirds had a very early chance to take the lead when they broke down the right and Ollie Tanner cut inside Harding before having an attempt on goal which was deflected across to team-mate Chris Willock, who fired into the side netting.
There was also an opportunity for Argyle to open the scoring when Watts was in an excellent shooting position in the centre of the penalty area after a flicked pass from Tolaj but he sent the ball straight at goalkeeper Nathan Trott, who made the save.
Boateng sent a left-foot strike over the bar as the Pilgrims pressed high up the pitch to put pressure on Cardiff and try to turn the ball over.
City had Kellyman booked for pulling the shirt of Pepple as he tried to launch an Argyle counter attack before Bluebirds’ defender Gabriel Osho almost conceded an own goal.
That came when Curtis swung a free-kick into the penalty area and Osho’s header hit the outside of a post and went out of play for a corner.
That set piece was also taken by Curtis and he hit the ball towards the near post where Tolaj sent a glancing header into the side netting.
Ronan Curtis battles for the ball during Argyle’s League One game against Cardiff City at Home Park on 21 February 2026 – Photo: Dave Rowntree/PPAUK
It had been a good positive start to the match from Argyle and they got their reward by opening the scoring in the 28th minute.
People flicked the ball through for Tolaj and he came up with a terrific left-foot finish, placing his shot beyond the reach of Trott and into the net for his 16th Argyle goal of the campaign.
Cardiff almost drew level immediately when an angled shot from Ollie Tanner hit the inside of the far post and then rebounded out to Kellyman, whose first-time attempt was brilliantly pushed over the bar by Hazard.
Argyle then doubled their lead in the 31st minute when Edwards made a surging run down the right and his cross picked out an unmarked Pepple who swept the ball into the net for his 10th goal of the season in all competitions.
Only seconds later, though, Cardiff had reduced their deficit as Tanner crossed the ball inside to Kellyman, who calmly slotted home from around eight yards out.
A fourth goal in only six minutes then followed when Harding delivered an excellent deep cross from the left and Pepple at the far post beat Trott with a powerful header to put Argyle 3-1 up.
The scoring was not over for the first half either as Cardiff got their second goal of the game in the 43rd minute with a superbly-placed shot from Kellyman high into the net from the edge of the penalty area.
When play restarted after that goal, there was an immediate coming together between Ross and Kellyman, with the Argyle defender shown a yellow card.
The drama kept on coming as Cardiff almost equalised in the seventh minute of added time when Perry Ng’s fierce shot from outside the box was pushed over the bar by Hazard in a magnificent save.
It remained 3-2 until the interval after a breathless and action-packed first half, with both sides having four shots on target from each having nine attempts on goal.
Matty Sorinola was sent on as a half-time substitute for Watts and took over from him on the left of the Argyle midfield, while Cardiff replaced David Turnbull with Rubin Colwill.
Pepple, who was one goal away from a hat-trick, sent a shot wide of the far post after he struggled to get the ball under control inside the City penalty area.
Argyle had the ball in the net again in the 56th minute when Mitchell headed home a flighted cross from Sorinola but an offside flag was raised and it cut short the celebrations of the on-loan Charlton Athletic defender.
Cardiff continued to pose plenty of attacking threat, though, and Alex Robertson drilled a low shot just wide of Hazard’s right post from 20 yards out after he was set up by Rubin Colwill.
Kellyman, also on a hat-trick, went very close to getting his third goal with a shot which went narrowly wide before Cardiff made a double substitution with Cian Ashford and Callum Robinson replacing Willock and Joel Colwill in the 62nd minute.
Argyle were then able to regain a two-goal advantage in the 68th minute with a penalty from Tolaj, who fired high into the net as Trott dived the opposite way.
The spot kick was awarded by referee Darren Drysdale after Pepple put in a terrific cross from out wide on the left and Tolaj was bundled over by Chambers as he tried to get on the end of it.
Cardiff kept on pushing forward and Rubin Colwill had a 20-yard shot saved by Hazard before Argyle made their second substitution with Wiredu receiving a great ovation from the Green Army for his tireless efforts in midfield as he was replaced by Bradley Ibrahim.
The Pilgrims then extended their lead to 5-2 in the 81st minute with the latest in a series of set piece goals as a perfectly-flighted corner from Curtis was powered into the net by the head of Ross.
It almost got even better for Argyle soon after the restart as Pepple’s low strike was pushed away at full stretch by Trott.
Tolaj and Pepple, both with two goals to their name, were replaced by substitutes Xavier Amaechi and Dale in the 85th minute and were also loudly applauded by the fans as they left the pitch.
Drysdale added on seven extra minutes at the end of the second half but the game was already long won by Argyle after a third dominant display in a week from them.
ARGYLE: Conor Hazard; Joe Edwards, Mathias Ross, Alex Mitchell, Wes Harding; Ronan Curtis, Malachi Boateng, Brendan Wiredu (Bradley Ibrahim 79 mins), Caleb Watts (Matty Sorinola h/t); Lorent Tolaj (Xavier Amaechi 85 mins), Bim Pepple (Owen Dale 85 mins).
Substitutes (not used): Luca Ashby-Hammond, Jack MacKenzie, Julio Pleguezuelo.
CARDIFF: Nathan Trott; Perry Ng (Ronan Kpakio 76 mins), Gabriel Osho, Calum Chambers, Joel Bagan (Calum Scanlon 88 mins); Alex Robertson, David Turnbull (Rubin Colwill h/t); Ollie Tanner, Joel Colwill (Callum Robinson 62 mins), Chris Willock (Cian Ashford 62 mins); Omari Kellyman.
Substitutes (not used): Ryan Wintle, Dylan Lawlor.
REFEREE: Darren Drysdale
ATTENDANCE: 16,713 (1,758)
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