Leeds United 3 Plymouth Argyle 0: Whites have a party at unambitious Wayne Rooney's expense

The last time the former England captain brought a team to the home of the Whites, Birmingham City lost 3-0 and he was sacked the next day.

The scoreline was the same when Plymouth Argyle's visited, but mainly because Leeds took pity on them in the second half, prioritising handing out debuts over plumping up their goal difference.

Leeds showed patience, ruthlessness then benevolence, keeping something in the tank with a trip to Millwall on Wednesday. They have gone up a gear or two since the October international break when injuries might have suggested the opposite – and they were decent before it.

Even the Plymouth manager's touch deserted him when he went to control a ball kicked out of play in his direction in the second half.

It was hardly Leeds' fault that Plymouth parked the bus but left the keys in the ignition. The Whites might have battered Bristol City without scoring but hoping for them to do it two weekends running was no kind of tactic at all from Rooney and the home side did not let him get away with it.

We should have known what was coming when Plymouth numbers two and three lined up either side of midfield. When Leeds had the ball – which was virtually all afternoon – they dropped in to play their shirt numbers, full-backs in a back six. Even going 3-0 did not stop the utterly unambitious "plan".

Eye of the Tiger played as the teams emerged for the second half. Rooney's team showed the eye of a short-sighted poodle.

So it became a question of whether Leeds could break down the mass of yellow. It took them half an hour, Dan James producing an excellent finish, but once they did it was just a question of how many. Three was the answer.

It took 10 minutes for Leeds to put a shot on target but all the while they were wearing the Pilgrims down and getting their eye in.

Joel Piroe lifted an Ao Tanaka pass over the bar, James blazed a short corner high and wide, and coming over a defender, Junior Firpo was able to head Brenden Aaronson's cross but not dangerously. At least Daniel Grimshaw got to use his gloves.

Midway through the first half Piroe hit a post, Sam Byram ignoring pleas to shoot with his weaker left foot and instead picking out the striker who connected well but was just a fraction out with the radar. Tanaka had a 30-yarder beaten away minutes later.

The game had just ticked into its second half-hour when Leeds scored. Eight minutes later they led 3-0.

An ever so slightly heavy James touch as Willy Gnonto laid a half-cleared corner to him forced him to poke slightly at the ball as two defenders threatened to win it but his direction and power were spot, giving the goalkeeper no chance.

You always suspected once Leeds got one the floodgates would be unable to withstand the pressure and two minutes later Piroe doubled the lead, Tanaka's shot bouncing into the turf and off defenders. Piroe controlled the loose ball and finished.

Such predatory instincts are normal for Piroe, less so Aaronson but he showed them too in the 38th minute. When Piroe's backheel ricocheted off a defender, the American pounced.

Bafflingly, Plymouth stuck plan A until the interval. Bringing on a second striker in Andre Gray for the second half improved things, but only up to a point.

In an attempt to inject some interest, Leeds manager Daniel Farke gave debuts to Sam Chambers and Josuha Guilavogui, whose initial touches were ole-ed with relish.

Tanaka's hopelessly wide shot, Gnonto's dragged effort and the Piroe effort which deflected comfortably to Grimshaw had been the only moments of note before the 66th-minute double-substitution. Teenage Wales international Charlie Crew would make his senior club debut with four minutes to play.

Crew nearly had his moment in the third added minute, forcing Grimshaw to tip over. He held Guilavogui's header from the corner.

Plymouth, and Rooney, had suffered enough.

Leeds United: Meslier; Byram, Rodon, Struijk, Firpo; Tanaka, Rothwell (Guilavogui 75); Gnonto (Chambers 75), Aaronson (Joseph 66), James (Solomon 66); Piroe (Crew 86).

Unused substitutes: Schmidt, Wober, Debayo, Darlow.

Plymouth Argyle: Grimshaw; Palsson, Szucs, Pleguezuelo; Mumba, Roberts (Bundu 60), Houghton, Forshaw; Sorinola, Ogbeta (Gray HT); Hardie (Finn 69).

Unused substitutes: Whittaker, Wright, Obafemi, Marosi, Al Hajj, Issaka.

Referee: D Webb (County Durham).