Morgan Whittaker scored his first Championship hat-trick as Plymouth stormed to a 6-2 mauling of Norwich at Home Park.
Promoted Argyle had the points all-but wrapped up by half-time after racing into a 4-0 lead through a brace from Whittaker and further goals from Dan Scarr and Finn Azaz – two of them coming in stoppage time.
Whittaker then added his third of the afternoon just before the hour and, although Norwich pulled two goals back through Adam Idah, Plymouth wrapped up a comprehensive win late on through Luke Cundle.
Attacking midfielder Whittaker got the ball rolling in the 15th minute when he latched on to an incisive through-ball from Adam Randell on the edge of the box. The 22-year-old beat his marker and swept the ball home past keeper Angus Gunn from close range.
Central-back Scarr profited with Argyle’s second goal in the 35th minute, firing home as City failed to clear a dangerous Azaz cross from the right.
Scarr’s fellow defender Lewis Gibson met the ball with a thumping shot that crashed off the Canaries bar and Scarr was first to react, netting with a thumping close-range strike which gave Gunn no chance.
Argyle doubled their lead in the five minutes of first-half stoppage time, with top scorer Ryan Hardie providing both assists.
First the Scottish striker teed up Whittaker on the edge of the box and he made no mistake with a measured finish from 20 yards.
Two minutes later Hardie again proved provider with Azaz benefitting, finishing off a mazy twisting and turning run into the penalty area with another sweet strike, curling the ball around the diving Gunn.
Whittaker could have completed his hat-trick in the opening minutes of the second half as Argyle countered but after being teed up by the unselfish Azaz, the two-goal forward’s shot was saved by Gunn’s outstretched leg.
Norwich looked for a lifeline and Conor Hazard made a superb save in the 58th minute, getting down well to keep out Idah’s first-time shot from a cross from the right.
It proved a double blow for the visitors as a minute later Argyle swept up the other end of the pitch and made it 5-0.
With Norwich committed, Hardie collected the ball midway in the opposition half, beat two defenders and then set Azaz on his way down the left.
His ball into the on-running Whittaker enabled the £1milllion summer signing from Swansea to complete his first Argyle hat-trick with a side-footed finish past Gunn.
Norwich gained late consolation when Gabriel Sara put Idah in on goal and he finished clinically in the 72nd minute, and soon after the Republic of Ireland forward doubled his tally from the spot after Argyle’s former City player Bali Mumba fouled substitute Onel Hernandez.
That made it 5-2 but Azaz and Argyle were not finished.
The playmaker’s cross-field ball set Mustapha Bundu away and he put fellow substitute Cundle in on goal for a close-range finish.
Ferguson still better than Guardiola, says James
Former Manchester City goalkeeper David James hails Pep Guardiola for "doing remarkable things" but believes he is still not at Alex Ferguson’s level.
City became the first team in Premier League history to win four consecutive titles with their 3-1 win over West Ham on Sunday, pipping Arsenal to the crown by two points.
Manchester United had previously won three consecutive Premier League seasons, achieving the feat twice under Ferguson (1998-2001 and 2006-2009).
Guardiola’s side can create more history on Saturday as they aim to clinch unprecedented back-to-back league and FA Cup doubles against the Red Devils.
Asked if this achievement put Guardiola’s name alongside Ferguson’s as the best Premier League manager, James, who spent two years with City, disagreed.
"No, Fergie's still the best. Look at statistics and longevity," James told Stats Perform. "And even more so, since Fergie left, what's happened to Manchester United.
"You can't even blame or use the excuse he had a good team and did well with it, Fergie rode the waves, he was up and down and even these downs weren't particularly bad.
"I think third or fourth was probably the worst they ever did; Fergie was the best and Pep will have to hang around for another decade, I think, before he can actually challenge that position.
"But what we're seeing at the moment, you've got a different style of football, a different type of game in so many different ways. The way the league is constructed at the moment with other competitions around it, Pep is having to do different things to what Fergie may have had to do.
"I know Fergie was a great manager, but not necessarily the greatest coach. Pep is a great manager and a great coach. He's also got an extra string to his bow in that sense.
"To be the winner of that league four years in a row, you need to be a superb manager. And I think Pep, in this short time frame, is doing some remarkable things, but he's going to have to hang around for a lot longer to take Ferguson's crown."
Following their victory over West Ham, Guardiola stated that he was "closer to leaving than staying", raising speculation that next season could be his last.
"I think the big question for Pep, and it is logical that he will now become the focus given that Jurgen Klopp announced his departure a few months ago, and all of a sudden it was nothing, but Jurgen and he will be the next focus," James added.
"I think the thing for Pep is, what does he want to do as a person? And it's not that he's completed the treble and that's enough because I think that he would want to do a treble treble, you want to do a quadruple.
"I can see that competitive side in him, he doesn't seem to change on the sidelines. Even yesterday, when they conceded the goal, and it was a fantastic goal from Kudus, he wasn't happy.
"I think you can still see that he's still animated, still engaged with the game. There's no question that he's feeling tired in that sense.
"I would like him to stay. I would like him to stay because I think when you've got someone so good, you need someone to beat them legitimately rather than them just step away and allow everyone else to play.
"I think he should stay. And I'm sure City will do everything they can to keep him in charge for the foreseeable future."
Putellas signs two-year deal with Barcelona
Barcelona midfielder Alexia Putellas has signed a two-year deal until 2026, the club announced on Thursday.
Putellas was due to be out of contract next month, but extends her 12-year relationship with Barcelona, with the new deal also including an option for an additional season.
The 30-year-old is a two-time Ballon d’Or winner in 2021 and 2022, though she has struggled with injuries that have kept her sidelined since winning the second.
Overall, she has made 424 appearances, scoring a record 189 goals for the club, playing a pivotal role in Barcelona’s recent domination in women’s football.
Putellas has won 29 major trophies with Barcelona and is looking for another on Saturday when they face Lyon in the Champions League final.
Having already clinched Liga F, the Copa de la Reina and the Spanish Supercopa this season, Putellas can help Barcelona to complete an unprecedented quadruple with a win over the French champions.
Sargent earns recall as Pulisic, Balogun and Adams headline USA's preliminary Copa America squad
United States coach Gregg Berhalter has named a 27-man preliminary squad ahead of the Copa America.
Josh Sargent, the Norwich City forward, has earned a recall to the USA squad for the upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Colombia, and is set to feature for his country for the first time since 2022.
With first-choice right-back Sergino Dest injured, meanwhile, Berhalter has turned to Nashville SC's Shaq Moore in defence.
Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Matt Turner, Weston McKennie and Brendan Aaronson are among the established names to feature.
Former Arsenal forward Folarin Balogun, who opted to represent the USA rather than England, has also made the cut, as has Coventry City's Haji Wright, who has had a strong season in England's second tier.
Berhalter explained Sargent had been called up to give him another option in attack, with Wright seen primarily as a wide option.
"Between their club form and what they've done for the national team in the past, we think it's a talented group of strikers," he said.
Giovanni Reyna, the 21-year-old Borussia Dortmund attacker who has been on loan at Nottingham Forest since January, has also been included, despite a feud between Berhalter and the playmaker's family in the wake of the World Cup.
Antonee Robinson has had another impressive season with Fulham, and has been called up alongside club-mate Tim Ream.
Former Manchester City goalkeeper Zack Steffen was a notable omission, as were MLS stars Jesus Ferreira and Jordan Morris.
"This summer presents an opportunity for us to progress and grow as a team as we continue to build towards the 2026 FIFA World Cup," Berhalter said.
"We have a talented group of players and are excited about the opportunity to compete against some of the best teams in the world."
Berhalter will cut down his squad after the friendlies, with Copa hosts USA taking on Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia in Group C.
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