Plymouth manager Wayne Rooney endured another tough afternoon at Elland Road as Leeds United swept aside his Pilgrims team 3-0 in a one-sided encounter.
Daniel Farke’s men did the damage during a blistering nine-minute first-half spell when goals from Dan James, Joel Piroe and Brenden Aaronson gave the hosts a 3-0 half-time lead that was never threatened.
The hosts were able to be on cruise control for the second 45 minutes, bringing on five subs which included debuts for midfield trio Sam Chambers, Josuha Guilavogui and Charlie Crew.
For Rooney, it was a second straight 3-0 reverse at Elland Road, following the defeat he suffered as Birmingham boss on New Year’s Day that saw him sacked the next day.
Wayne Rooney on Leeds United fan chants
Given his association with Leeds’ bitter rivals Manchester United, Rooney was always going to be the subject of chants from the home fans who were reveling in their side’s comfortable win.
And so it proved to be, although Rooney insisted in his post-match press conference that he did not hear anything during the game.
“I didn’t hear anything today,” he said with a smile on his face, as per the YEP. “Maybe they can sing a bit louder.”
Rooney added that it was a bad day for his side, who finished without registering a single shot all day.
“Crazy five, seven minutes where we concede three and the game’s done. Very disappointed with the result.
“Leeds are a fantastic team, difficult team to play against. From our point of view we’re trying to improve. We’ve got young lads coming on, it’s a good atmosphere at a big club. Today it was a bad day for us, move on and look to the game on Tuesday.”
Rooney’s Leeds promotion verdict
The defeat leaves Plymouth 22nd in the Championship table, while Leeds were able to move up past Burnley into the automatic promotion places, ahead of the Clarets’ clash at Millwall tomorrow.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  SunderlandSunderland | 12 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 23 | 9 | 14 | 28 |
| 2 |  BurnleyBurnley | 12 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 17 | 5 | 12 | 23 |
| 3 |  LeedsLeeds | 12 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 19 | 8 | 11 | 23 |
| 4 |  Sheff UtdSheffield Utd | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 22 |
| 5 |  West BromWest Brom | 13 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 21 |
Rooney added that anything but a return to the Premier League this season would be seen as ‘failure’ at Leeds United.
“They are a very good team,” he added. “I am sure if you ask their manager, anything but promotion will be a failure. That will be the message he’s getting.
“They are a good team with really good players. They will be fighting for the top two.”
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