- Lampard's side went into half-time with a four-goal lead on Thursday afternoon.
- Plymouth have conceded 16 goals in their last four away Championship games
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Wayne Rooney suffered a damaging 4-0 defeat to Frank Lampard's Coventry to put more pressure on the beleaguered Plymouth Argyle boss.
The former England team-mates' first managerial meeting overshadowed the crucial Championship clash for the visitors on Boxing Day, who went into the tie rooted at the bottom of the table.
Argyle came into the game without a win in their last eight league games, a run which was extended to nine after their last heavy away defeat.
The Sky Blues did all their damage in the first half, as goals from Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, Ephron Mason-Clark and a brace from Josh Eccles lifted Lampard's men to 14th in the standings.
His team has achieved three wins since his appointment last month and is just 10 points away from the play-offs.
Some mitigation for Plymouth's miserable run comes in their extraordinary list of absences. On Thursday, Rooney was without the likes of Ryan Hardie, Michael Obafemi, Ibrahim Cissoko, Muhamed Tijani and Morgan Whittaker.
Wayne Rooney's side have conceded 16 goals in their last four away Championship games
Coventry took a four-goal lead into the interval thanks to goals from Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, Ephron Mason-Clark and a brace from Josh Eccles (pictured)
Lampard's team rises to 14th place in the championship after its third victory since his appointment
It means the former Derby manager gave 16-year-old Tegan Finn his first start after a second-half substitute appearance in the 3-0 defeat at Leeds in November.
Rooney was also without captain Joe Edwards for the clash in the Midlands.
Coventry's attack began after just five minutes when Sakamoto struck. Eccles doubled the home team's lead after 20 minutes before scoring his second on the stroke of half-time after Mason-Clark scored his fourth goal in six games since Lampard's arrival.
Rooney's problems were compounded in the 87th minute when Callum Wright was sent off, ruling him out of Sunday's clash against Oxford United.
The Manchester United legend faced “morning goodbye” chants from his own fans after Eccles' second goal before half-time. His team, who remain two points from safety, have conceded 16 goals in four away games in the last month.
Their upcoming clash against 20th-placed Oxford offers another opportunity for his team to wake up from their slumber and help the manager stave off mounting pressure for his dismissal.
Meanwhile, Coventry will host Millwall on Sunday at the Coventry Building Society Arena, whom they beat in early December to claim Lampard's first victory.