Crystal Palace increased the pressure on beleaguered Plymouth boss Paul Sturrock with a comfortable victory.
Plymouth boss under pressure after another defeat
Crystal Palace increased the pressure on beleaguered Plymouth boss Paul Sturrock with a comfortable victory at Home Park.
The Pilgrims have not tasted victory since Boxing Day and are sliding alarmingly towards the Championship relegation zone.
Neil Danns, Alan Lee and John Oster put Palace 3-0 up by the interval with Gary Sawyer's second-half reply little more than a consolation.
Sturrock made five changes from the side that lost 2-0 to Charlton on Saturday, with Mathias Doumbe returning from suspension and Gary Sawyer, James Paterson, Steven MacLean and Rory Fallon promoted into the starting line-up.
Palace were playing their first match for more than two weeks and boss Neil Warnock rang the changes from their defeat by Blackpool at the end of January.
Claude Davis made his debut following his loan move from Derby while Danns returned in place of the suspended Nick Carle.
Rusty
Plymouth had the first sight of goal, Krisztian Timar heading Paterson's corner just past the post.
The hosts started the stronger, Palace maybe a little rusty after their recent inactivity, but Warnock's side gradually came back into it with Lee firing in a shot from 12 yards that was blocked by Sawyer.
And moments later the visitors were ahead. Oster swung in a cross from the right and Danns powered a header into the bottom corner.
It was two after 28 minutes as Sean Scannell's shot cannoned back off the post and Lee tapped in the rebound.
Shaun Derry and Danns tried their luck for Palace but Plymouth could have pulled one back when Timar got his head to another corner only to send it wide again.
And Palace hit Plymouth with a sucker punch just before the break when Paul Ifill found Oster and the skilful midfielder deservedly got on the scoresheet with a breakaway goal.
Scuffle
The hosts' luck did not show any signs of changing at the start of the second half as a penalty shout for handball after MacLean fired in an effort was turned down by referee Rob Shoebridge.
Jamie Mackie then caused a scuffle with a late challenge on Palace keeper Julian Speroni, MacLean booked for his reaction.
Sturrock made three changes with an hour gone, Ashley Barnes, Paul Gallagher and Craig Noone replacing Alan Judge, Fallon and MacLean.
And Gallagher made the difference straight away with a cross that was backheeled by Karl Duguid into the path of Sawyer, who smashed the ball into the top corner.
Argyle were certainly not giving up and Doumbe had a sight of goal with a header from Noone's free-kick but he could not direct it on target.
Barnes tested Speroni with another header but the hosts had given themselves too much to do and Palace comfortably held on.
