Injury-time goals from Alex Hartridge and Bim Pepple saw Plymouth Argyle beat ten-men Exeter City 2-0 to reach the second round of the 2026-27 Carabao Cup.
Hartridge nodded Plymouth into a 92nd-minute lead from Harvey White’s corner delivery, after Exeter’s Ethan Sutherland was shown a 87th-minute red card for a tug on Matty Sorinola.
Pepple then wrapped up victory with a 94th-minute tap in from Freddie Issaka’s pass, which marked Plymouth’s first victory over Exeter in this competition in terms of ties – having previously won once at home in a two-legged tie at this same stage in 1985-86 season which they ultimately lost 3-2 on aggregate.
Plymouth will now play host to Premier League’s Coventry City at Home Park in the second round on either 25 or 26 August.
Despite now being a division apart this season, Plymouth and Exeter unsurprisingly began this game at a high tempo but the first chance almost fell the hosts’ away as White fired wide from a clearance of Wes Harding’s fifth-minute cross.
Exeter failed to muster a single shot on target in the first half but Plymouth struggled to capitalise on their dominance as Jack Bycroft saved Pepple’s 32nd-minute shot then Ronan Curtis headed wide eight minutes later from a corner.
Pepple almost broke the deadlock on the cusp of half time as he met Xavier Amaechi’s direct cross into the box, yet he handled the ball down with his right arm before he slotted in past Bycroft, which led referee – Dean Whitestone to disallow the goal to Pepple’s frustration.
Alex Mitchell then fired wide for Argyle in the first minute of the second half before Exeter’s Taylor Perry put a half-volley shot wide just two minutes later in their first chance, before Andrew Oluwabori headed Reece Cole’s cross wide in the 50th minute as the Grecians sparked into life.
Plymouth though maintained control as Pepple nodded Malachi Boateng’s 57th-minute cross wide at the left post.
Plymouth’s latest signing, Will Evans then intercepted a sloppy backpass from Exeter’s Harry Kite but blasted his shot over the bar.
Both teams eventually three everything forward in the closing 20 minutes as Josh Gordon fired wide for the visitors, whilst Curtis headed Evans’ 80th-minute cross wide for Argyle, before Luca Woodhouse then blocked a shot from Evans.
The tie eventually reached a flash point in the 87th minute as Wolves loanee, Sutherland was red carded for pulling Sorinola back, as the latter tried to chase a ball up the right flank.
Plymouth swiftly punished them five minutes later as Hartridge nodded White’s corner into the net to break Exeter’s hearts with a goal against his former team, who he represented between 2016 – 2024.
Exeter’s cup dreams were firmly extinguished in the 94th minute as Issaka beat Woodhouse and Bycroft to a looping forward cross, and laid a pass across for Pepple to slot in to seal Plymouth’s first-ever tie victory over the Grecians in this competition at the fifth attempt.
Teams
Plymouth: Murphy Cooper, Wes Harding (Issaka 90′), Mathias Ross (Pleguezuelo 77′), Alex Mitchell, Alex Hartridge, Xavier Amaechi (Sorinola 67′), Harvey White, Malachi Boateng, Ronan Curtis, Bim Pepple, Will Evans
Substitutes: Brendan Sarpong-Wiredu, Joe Edwards, Bradley Ibrahim, Freddie Issaka, Julio Pleguezuelo, Caleb Roberts, James Sharpe, Matty Sorinola, James Storer
Exeter: Jack Bycroft, Ed James, Jack Fitzwater, Luca Woodhouse, Andrew Oluwabori, Jake Doyle-Hayes (Kite 46′), Charlie Cummins, Gwion Edwards (Sutherland 65′), Taylor Perry (Gordon 65′), Reece Cole (Birch 72′), Jayden Wareham
Substitutes: George Birch, Liam Cartwright, Louie Cayless, Sonny Cox, Josh Gordon, Harry Kite, Liam Oakes, Frankie Phillips, Ethan Sutherland
Referee – Dean Whitestone
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