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.
Plymouth Argyle 2-2 Watford: Two-goal Gray rescues point for Rooney's side
Andre Gray scored twice against his former club to salvage a point for struggling Plymouth Argyle as they drew 2-2 with Watford on Friday.
Gray curled in an equaliser in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time to seal a crucial point for Wayne Rooney's side in their bid for survival in the Championship.
The visitors made a quick start at Home Park when Ivorian striker Vakoun Bayo bundled in a cross from Yasser Larouci only eight minutes in.
Plymouth did, however, equalise against the run of play in the 23rd minute when Lewis Gibson's long ball into the box was met with a spectacular volley from Gray.
Watford regained the lead before the break when Imran Louza's free-kick was knocked back by Mattie Pollock, with centre-back Ryan Porteous on hand to steer the ball home.
But just as it looked like Watford would go home with all three points, Gray picked up the ball on the edge of the area and fired home a stunning effort beyond Daniel Bachmann.
Tom Cleverley's Watford sit in fifth place and trail leaders Sunderland by five points, while Plymouth are 17th with 17 points from 16 matches.
Man United could be without Toone until new year, says Skinner
Marc Skinner revealed that Manchester United could be without midfielder Ella Toone until the new year after she picked up a calf injury in training.
Toone has featured in five games in the Women's Super League this season, but is yet to register a goal or an assist so far this term.
The 25-year-old has missed United's last two games and was not selected in Sarina Wiegman's England squad for their upcoming friendlies against the United States and Switzerland.
She had previously appeared in a staggering 96 straight matches before missing United's WSL showdown with Leicester City last weekend.
But ahead of the Red Devils' meeting with league leaders Chelsea on Sunday, Skinner confirmed they would be without Toone for not only that game, but for the foreseeable future.
"We have three games [after the international break and before Christmas]. There's always the hope, but I think you balance and you go, 'right, if we can get her back, we get her back'," Skinner said.
"But we're just not going to rush her in this moment because it's a calf injury, it's your running mechanism. If we injure the running mechanism, it takes longer.
"So ideally we'd like her back for those games afterwards.
"The projection is she misses this game [Chelsea], she misses the international window, probably misses the first game after that, and then we'll see from there.
"But because it is such a short block of only three games, we'll assess whether it's worth that or actually resetting to come back after Christmas."
Al-Nassr 1-2 Al-Qadsiah: Aubameyang winner ends hosts' unbeaten run
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hit the winner as Al-Qadsiah inflicted a 2-1 defeat on Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League on Friday to end their 21-match unbeaten run.
Cristiano Ronaldo's seventh league goal of the season put Al-Nassr ahead, but Al-Qadsiah replied swiftly through Julian Quinones before Aubameyang struck the decisive blow.
The hosts drew first blood in the 32nd minute when Ronaldo slotted home after Al-Qadsiah goalkeeper Koen Casteels had spilled a routine catch from Talisca's cross.
However, Al-Nassr's joy was short-lived when Quinones brought down Turki Al Ammar's delivery five minutes later, with the Mexcio winger firing past Bento to level the scores.
Quinones also played a part in the winning goal after brilliantly turning the ball back across goal from Nahitan Nandez's search pass to tee up a simple finish for Aubameyang.
The result sees Al-Qadsiah move level on 22 points with third-placed Al-Nassr, with Al-Shabab also level with them.
Stefano Pioli's Al-Nassr are six points adrift of defending champions and leaders Al-Hilal, who also have a game in hand.
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