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• Rooney up and running as Plymouth stun Championship leaders Sunderland

  Joe Edwards netted a dramatic 93rd-minute winner as Wayne Rooney's Plymouth Argyle stunned Championship leaders Sunderland 3-2 on Saturday.

  Argyle were still waiting for their first league win under Rooney heading into this match against the early pace-setters, who had recorded four wins from four.

  It looked like being more of the same when Patrick Roberts netted a first-half penalty for Sunderland, but Plymouth turned the game on its head after the restart at Home Park.

  Dan Ballard's own goal got the home side level, then Ryan Hardie converted an Argyle spot-kick.

  Sunderland fans had made the longest trip in the EFL this season to see their side and looked to be rewarded with a hard-earned point when Romaine Mundle equalised four minutes from time.

  But Plymouth were not done and rallied again to sensationally snatch victory in stoppage time as Edwards reacted fastest to a rebound and blasted past Anthony Patterson.

  Watford had been Sunderland's nearest challengers but could not capitalise as they drew 1-1 at home to Coventry City.

  That result allowed Blackburn Rovers to move up to second on 11 points, one behind Sunderland, as they eased to a 3-0 victory over Bristol City.

  Yuki Ohashi scored twice at Ewood Park to see Blackburn nudge back ahead of rivals Burnley, winners earlier in the day at Leeds United.

  West Brom subsequently ended Saturday in fifth but could now take top spot on Sunday when they take on Portsmouth.

  Pompey are in the bottom three until then, a place and a point below Preston North End, who earned a 1-1 draw on the road against Middlesbrough.

  Cardiff City are bottom and still with just one point after losing 1-0 at Derby County. 

• David, King demand more from Soca Warriors in October window as League A survival on the line

  Trinidad and Tobago’s interim head coach Derek King and captain Aubrey David were left ruing the Soca Warriors’s sub-par performances in the September window, which has their Concacaf Nations League, League A survival in the balance.

  The Soca Warriors, who lost their opening contest 0-4 away to Honduras, were heavily favoured to take three points off French Guiana in the following encounter at home, but they were instead held to a goalless stalemate.

  This was much to the disappointment of King, David, and the many spectators that flocked the Dwight Yorke Stadium, as that result left the Twin Island Republic sitting at the foot of Group B on a point. Jamaica (four points), Nicaragua (four points), Honduras (three points), Cuba (two points), and French Guiana (one point) complete the group.

  The Soca Warriors now face a must-win scenario in their next two fixtures against Cuba on October 10 and 14 to have a slim chance at making the top two for a quarterfinal berth, but more importantly to avoid relegation to League B.

  Having made the quarterfinal in the previous edition of the Concacaf Nations League, David believes there is a need for individual and collective introspection as they need to raise the standard of their game.

  

  "It was a sad result for us. It's a draw, but it feels like a loss for us because three points would have put us in a good position in the group once again. Unfortunately, we didn't get going. We need to reset again because we have two important games coming up,” David said as he reflected on the outcome of their contest against French Guiana.

  "I think we as a team have to look at ourselves in the mirror and go back to the drawing board and look at the things that brought us success in the last campaign. I think we need to be humble and have that hunger to get good results,” he added.

  Alvin Jones echoed similar sentiments.

  "I think each and everyone has to look in the mirror and decide what they want—whether we want to play big football or we just want to compete. I think we have a lot of work to do mentally and physically. Each and every player,” he noted.

  Meanwhile, King, who was appointed ahead of the tournament following the dismissal of Angus Eve, felt his team could have done more to secure the three points against French Guiana.

  

  "I think the performance was a bit disappointing. We didn't get three points. We went out there, and we analysed the team. Our ball movement was a little slow, but we still created chances. I think to take us to the next level, we need to raise our intensity, and our ball speed has to be much better to compete with the top teams in Concacaf,” King declared.

  Though it is left to be seen if he will still be on the sidelines for the Cuba encounters next month, King backed the players to make the necessary adjustments to secure the desired result.

  "The players we selected, I thought it was the best mix for these two games...the important thing is to look ahead as a team. We saw some good things (against French Guiana), so we have to sit as a staff and analyse those two games and continue building from this,” King stated.

• Hoffenheim 1-4 Bayer Leverkusen: Visitors bounce back with emphatic win

  Champions Bayer Leverkusen cruised to a 4-1 victory at Hoffenheim on Saturday thanks to a dazzling performance by Victor Boniface.

  The Nigerian scored two goals and laid on an assist, ensuring Leverkusen got back to winning ways in their first game since the international break.

  The visitors struck twice in the first half an hour for a 2-0 lead, with Boniface setting up Martin Terrier for a tap-in in the 17th minute before turning scorer with a clever finish.

  Mergim Berisha, making his first appearances since a knee ligament tear last November, cut the deficit for Hoffenheim just before the break from close range.

  Leverkusen restored their two-goal lead courtesy of a penalty, buried by Florian Wirtz in the 72nd minute, after Dennis Geiger fouled Alex Grimaldo in the box.

  Boniface then single-handedly dismantled the Hoffenheim defence with a strong run down the left, powering a shot past keeper Oliver Baumann three minutes later to lift Leverkusen to fourth place on six points.

  Data Debrief: Normal business resumed

  It came as quite a shock before the international break when Leverkusen's 35-game unbeaten streak in the Bundesliga ended, with RB Leipzig handing them their first defeat in 462 days.

  But Xabi Alonso's side quickly shook that result off, and extended their impressive unbeaten run on the road - they are now unbeaten in 19 such matches (W16 D3). It is also the first time they have won their first two away games in a Bundesliga season.

  Meanwhile, Baumann made his 464th Bundesliga appearance in this match, drawing him level with Toni Schumacher and Lothar Matthaus. This was his 92nd consecutive game in the competition.