Substitute striker Muhamed Tijani scored an 88th-minute winner as basement side Plymouth upset promotion-chasing Sheffield United 2-1 at Home Park.

Tijani scored from 12 yards out after United failed to clear Bali Mumba’s dangerous cross and the ball fell kindly to the striker.

Ryan Hardie cancelled out Jesurun Rak-Sakyi’s 44th-minute opener after 81 minutes to set up an unlikely comeback for relegation-haunted Argyle.

Greens boss Miron Muslic recalled Jordan Houghton, Nathaneal Ogbeta, Victor Palsson and Callum Wright following the midweek 3-0 defeat at Swansea.

While opposite number Chris Wilder made five changes to the Blades side beaten at home by Millwall on Tuesday.

In came Callum O’Hare, Rak-Sakyi, Harry Clarke, Vini Souza and striker Tom Cannon.

Out went Rhian Brewster, Ben Brereton Diaz, Tyrese Campbell, Hamza Choudhury and Femi Seriki, who all started the game on the substitutes’ bench.

Former Argyle goalkeeper Michael Cooper remained untroubled for the first 25 minutes by a shot-shy Plymouth.

The closest either side came to getting an effort on goal in the early stages was when United skipper Jack Robinson looped a header over from a 12th minute Rak-Sakyi corner.

Argyle’s first effort on goal was when home skipper Adam Randell volleyed over the bar from distance in the 28th minute.

Still Cooper remained an onlooker.

Cooper’s first action came in the 37th minute when he had to race out of his area to clear a through ball to Argyle forward Mustpha Bundu down the right wing.

Bundu had appeals turned down a minute before as he tangled with marker Robinson and Cooper on the edge of the United penalty area as he attempted to latch on to a towering ball into the box.

United took the lead through Rak-Sakyi in the 44th minute as he cut inside on his right, sending marker Ogbeta the wrong way, and let fly with his left foot into the far corner past diving keeper Conor Hazard.

Hazard made a superb 51st-minute save to deny Rak-Sakyi his second, diving low to his right to keep out the striker’s left-foot shot from just inside the area after Sydie Peck’s pass put the scorer in on goal.

Anel Ahmedhodzic had his downward header from a Gustavo Hamer corner saved on the line by Hazard on 57 minutes.

United failed to clear Adam Randell’s 64th minute free-kick into the area, following a foul on Tijani, and then Hardie’s shot on the spin hit flew off the top of the bar.

Kieffer Moore was introduced for Cannon as part of a triple substitution after 68 minutes as United sought to build on their lead.

But it was Argyle who scored next, in-form Hardie clinically finishing from close range, first-timing home after latching on to substitute Joe Edwards scissor kick following a Randell corner.

And then Tijani won it two minutes from time.