Plymouth Argyle 3-3 Middlesbrough: Michael Carrick's Boro peg Wayne Rooney's Pilgrims back three times in draw

Wayne Rooney's Plymouth led three times but will sit bottom of the table over Christmas after having to settle for a 3-3 draw with Michael Carrick's high-flying Middlesbrough in a Championship thriller at Home Park.

Argyle, who slipped to bottom ahead of the game following Hull's earlier victory, belied their lowly position to score through skipper Lewis Gibson, Darko Gyabi and Mustapha Bundu but Boro replied through skipper Jonny Howson, Hayden Hackney and Emmanuel Latte Lath.

The point was not enough to see the Pilgrims climb off the bottom as they sit equal on 18 points with Cardiff and Oxford, but have an inferior goal difference.

Hackney had the first effort on goal in the 15th minute but his 20-yard shot flew over the bar.

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The best early attacking move of the match orchestrated by home playmaker Adam Randell resulted in Bundu crossing from the right on 20 minutes and Gyabi firing just over the bar, as the ball fell slightly behind the on-loan Leeds attacking midfielder.

Bundu's next cross from the right was headed clear from danger as Argyle grew in confidence.

Scottish striker Ryan Hardie came closest to opening the scoring after 28 minutes with a near-post strike to greet Bali Mumba's incisive cross from the right following a silky one-two with Bundu.

Mumba's next cross flew across the face of goal just out of the reach of incoming striker Hardie and Freddie Issaka.

Randell took the sting out Riley McGree's shot on goal with a superb 33rd-minute block, with the ball looping up into the arms of keeper Dan Grimshaw.

Plymouth's pressure was finally rewarded in the 38th minute when skipper Gibson slid in to convert Brendan Galloway's cross from the left, flicked on at the near post by Hardie.

In first-half stoppage time George Edmundson failed to clear, Hardie nipped in and teed up Bundu, whose first time angled strike was brilliantly saved low down at his near post by Sol Brynn at full stretch.

In torrential rain Argyle started the second half as they finished the first, on the attack with Gyabi's scissor-kick attempt flying just wide.

Boro levelled through their skipper on 50 minutes as Argyle's defence failed to clear Ben Doak's cutback cross from the right and Howson hammered home, with Grimshaw wrong-footed by a deflection off Hardie.

Hackney fired wide after being teed up by Tommy Conway after 65 minutes just before Argyle regained the lead after 72 minute when Mumba sent Bundu away down the right.

His pacy cross was acrobatically converted into the roof of the net by Gyabi.

The Pilgrims lead was short-lived as Hackney followed up his saved shot to score on the rebound from six yards after 77 minutes.

Bundu restored Argyle's lead in the 81st minute, turning in a cross from substitute Nathanael Ogbeta only for Boro to again level in the 84th minute through substitute striker Latte Lathe, who roofed home as the ball fell invitingly to him following a corner.

Argyle came close to a stoppage-time winner when Mumba's cross was deflected around his own post by Boro defender Rav Van Den Berg.

The managers

Plymouth's Wayne Rooney:

"It's tight down there there's quite a few teams, at the moment we're almost in a mini-league. From our point of view we have to keep performing like we have in the last three and we will win games.

"I thought first half we were excellent in and out of possession. We wanted to nullify the way Boro wanted to play and we did that.

"I think we were very unlucky we were only 1-0 up at half time. Based on chances alone I was disappointed we didn't win the game. For two of their three goals we were a bit naive.

"Overall a good performance if we can keep those performance levels up - Swansea, Sheffield United and today - we will win games.

"Everything we did this week was based on attack and I am delighted with the goals. There were so many good performances out there that's a real positive.

"We wanted to win. For periods of the game we were on top in the game, and there were periods when they were on top. In the dressing room it felt like a defeat but what's important when you don't win a game is that you don't lose.

"It's a good start to this busy Christmas period, a good point. We are gradually getting players back which is good. What didn't help us was that I had to take off two players through injuries. A point is not a bad thing but I thought we deserved all three."

Middlesbrough's Michael Carrick:

"I was pleased with the boys' character, commitment and belief to keep pegging them back in the second half.

"We were the better team in the second half and could have scored maybe more goals.

"We did start well and had a good element of control, credit to them they put a lot of bodies forward across our back line and made us defend those spaces.

"The injury to Obafemi maybe knocked our rhythm a little bit, it's not an excuse, it is just probably how it was.

"I am not frustrated because we didn't do enough without the ball and defensively to come away feeling any better. The attacking play at times was decent enough and we were scoring goals.

"We had the better of the second half, they didn't have an awful lot, it was more breakaways and some opportunities. But football throws up funny things at times.

"They (Plymouth) have got good players in moments and individual quality, quick and they carry the ball up the pitch.

"They are a good team, they caused Sheffield United a lot of problems and were unlucky not to get anything out of that game. We knew the challenge we were up against. There were no surprises in that, I am more disappointed how we dealt with it."

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