Plymouth substitute Muhamed Tijani scored a 67th-minute equaliser as Argyle rescued a much-needed point from a 1-1 Championship draw at home to relegation-rivals Cardiff.
The Bluebirds swept into a 14th-minute lead through Yousef Salech but they were reduced to 10 men – eight minutes after the break – when Dimitrios Goutas was sent off, before Tijani came off the bench to earn a share of the spoils.
City dominated the game from the off. Argyle goalkeeper Conor Hazard did his best to keep Cardiff at bay and saved brilliantly from Aaron Ramsey’s 13th-minute free-kick from just outside the box on the left.
But Argyle failed to clear the ball and back came Cardiff through winger Will Alves, whose cross from the right was bundled in at the far post by Salech.
The same combination would have put City 1-0 up after just three minutes if it was not for Northern Ireland stopper Hazard.
Alves’ crossed from the right and Salech’s far-post header produced a spectacular diving save by Hazard, which bounced off the head of central defender Nikola Katic on the goal line.
After a goalmouth scramble, Katic and Hazard managed to clear the danger.
Cardiff continued to press until the hosts’ first clear effort in the 24th minute.
Makeshift striker Mustapha Bundu crossed from wide on the left into skipper Adam Randell, who controlled the bouncing ball before letting fly on the half volley with a shot that whistled just past the post.
Two minutes later, Tymoteusz Puchacz sent a curling 20-yard free-kick wide of the post, with City goalkeeper Jak Alnwick still untroubled.
Ramsey sent in another free-kick from the left – just before the half-hour mark – which sailed over the crossbar from a similar position that led to the opener.
Argyle had a let off in the 32nd minute when Rubin Colwill missed a golden opportunity to put Cardiff 2-0 up, volleying over the crossbar from close range as Silvert Mannsverk’s drive flew into the box.
Plymouth boss Miron Muslic, who was still without injured in-form Scottish striker Ryan Hardie (back) – introduced Bali Mumba into the attack as a second-half replacement for Callum Wright.
Mumba had the first meaningful shot of the second period, firing wide from 20 yards after latching on to a Puchacz pass.
Goutas was sent off after 53 minutes for fouling Mumba on the edge of the box as he homed in on goal, with only the keeper to beat.
Randell’s grasscutter free-kick flew inches wide, while – on the hour – Mumba saw his powerful header on the run from Bundu’s cross crash back off the bar, with Alnwick beaten.
In the 67th minute, Tijani converted from close range. The Argyle substitute beat his marker to Bundu’s header across the face of goal from Maksym Talovierov’s lofted pass into the area as the spoils were shared.
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