Argyle 2
Kouo-Doumbe 37, Mpenza 90

Charlton Athletic 2
Youga 86, Gray pen 90

EMILE Mpenza has waited a long time to announce his arrival at Home Park, but he produced when the Pilgrims needed it most scoring an equaliser deep into injury-time after Charlton appeared to have won the match late in the day.

Mathias Kouo-Doumbe's first goal for the Pilgrims in all-but three years put Argyle ahead for most of the match but two late goals almost rained on Argyle's parade.

A late header from Kelly Youga and an injury-time penalty from Andy Gray appeared to have secured the Addicks' second successive 2-1 victory at Home Park but Mpenza's scorching volley, with his first touch of the game, spared the Pilgrim's blushes.

Argyle had gone on the attack even before the teams emerged, with Luggy opting to start with Paul Gallagher, Rory Fallon and Steve MacLean together for the first time this season.

Gallagher dropped back to the left side of a regulation four-man midfield, with Chris Clark moving across to the right to replace Nicolas Marin, omitted from the squad seven days after making his debut at Sheffield United.

There was one other change, with Craig Cathcart returning to the centre of defence after missing the 2-0 Bramall Lane defeat in place of Kristián Timár, who, like Marin, was not even on the bench. For which Charlton substitute Svetoslav Todorov must have been very grateful.

Neither was record-signing Simon Walton, who had become a father for the first time 24 hours earlier to - appropriately on this weekend of all weekends - Poppy.

Alan Pardew's reaction to the previous week's 3-1 home defeat by Barnsley was to make five changes along the lines of Luggy's Vicarage Road Honest Men Policy.

Out went Martin Cranie, Lloyd Sam, Grant Basey, Darren Ambrose and Josh Wright - with the latter three not even making the bench - and in came defenders Kelly Youga and Linvoy Primus, and midfielders Jose Semedo, Matt Holland and Hameur Boazza.

Bouazza's Argyle's heartbreaker in their FA Cup quarter-final against Watford two seasons ago, and Holland both came close to giving Charlton an early lead after an early break by Argyle that had seen Fallon's header of Clark's far-post cross deflected for a corner by Mark Hudson.

Bouazza succeeded in lifting the ball over Romain Larrieu's head from a not dissimilar position to his cup decider but, fortunately for the Pilgrims, also lifted it over the crossbar.

Holland then got everything behind a low drive from the edge of the penalty area, only to find Larrieu in the perfect position to make a perfect save, tipping the ball around his post at full stretch for a corner.

Argyle continued to live dangerously and were grateful to that Holland did not get more of his head on a deep cross by right-back Yassin Moutaouakil.

Not for the first time this season, the Pilgrims failed to dominate their visitors. Like the curate's egg, they were good in parts: MacLean linked well; Clark's crosses always looked dangerous; Fallon put himself around a bit; Summerfield was tidy, etc.etc, but nothing was really happening.

Clark was instrumental in the Pilgrims taking the lead eight minutes before the interval. His driving run, cutting in from the flank induced a rash challenge from serial card-collector Youga and won a free-kick, which, in turn, produced a corner.

The flag-kick was swung out across the penalty area where Kouo-Doumbe cleverly made space for himself by dropping off his marker, yet still retained a good enough position to head powerfully down and across Charlton goalkeeper Nicky Weaver.

The lead did not visibly lift the Pilgrims' confidence, nor dent that of Charlton, whose crosses from wide and deep continued to offer hope for the Addicks and concern for Argyle. Thankfully, Larrieu stood tall and came for most.

The second half opened with Gallagher providing a sumptuous cross in front of the Devonport, after wrong-footing two Charlton defenders with the one swivel of his hips, which Fallon just failed to get on target at the far post despite a terrific effort.

In increasingly driving rain, the Pilgrims continued to make heavy weather of things and seemed prepared to concede ground and possession to the Addicks on the grounds that they could defend the slender lead in their own third.

A settler went begging when Chris Barker made his way into the uncharted territory of the opposition's penalty area and his cross was headed out to Summerfield on the edge of the penalty area. However, young Summers snatched the chance wide.

At the other end, Larrieu got a block on Nick Bailey's attempt as Charlton continued to attempt to pass their way to parity, while it was a relief to see Cathcart and Marcel Seip in the right place at the right time to be the defensive rocks on which the Addicks' good intentions foundered.

Charlton lost influential midfielder Jose Semedo, who was stretchered off with 20 minutes to go but soon recovered to return to the bench, while, at the same time, Luggy replaced MacLean with Mackie and switched Gallagher to the middle.

Mackie pepped things up, as he always does, and Fallon and Gallagher suddenly found space that had eluded them earlier in the game as Charlton pressed.

Seven minutes from time, Larrieu repeated his earlier magnificence when he saved superbly from Mark Hudson, who had fired a right-foot shot goalwards from no more than eight yards after the Pilgrims failed to deal with Moutaouakil's delivery.

Larrieu got down more quickly than a man of his build has a right to turn the shot around the post.

However, a subsequent corner was long and high to the far post and Youga steamed in to level, before Gray's late penalty.

Charlton thought they'd won it but it was not over yet and, as play broke for a free-kick, on came Mpenza for Gallagher and, with his first touch, he volleyed home Larrieu's long kick forward.

Argyle (4-4-2): 1 Romain Larrieu; 13 Mathias Kouo-Doumbe, 22 Craig Cathcart, 19 Marcel Seip, 15 Chris Barker; 6 Chris Clark, 20 Luke Summerfield (17 Craig Noone 90), 2 Karl Duguid (capt), 11 Paul Gallagher (31 Emile Mpenza 90); 14 Rory Fallon, 9 Steve MacLean (25 Jamie Mackie 74). Substitutes (not used): 3 Jim Paterson, 8 Yoann Folly.

Booked: Summerfield 64, Gallagher 89.

Charlton Athletic (4-4-2): 1 Nicky Weaver; 2 Yassin Moutaouakil, 35 Linvoy Primus, 6 Mark Hudson, 3 Kelly Youga; 8 Matt Holland (10 Svetolslav Todorov 69), 4 Nick Bailey, 23 Jose Semedo (17 Chris Dickson 74), 34 Hameur Bouazza; 12 Luke Varney (18 Lloyd Sam 56), 9 Andy Gray. Substitutes (not used): 21 Rob Elliot (gk), 29 Martin Cranie.

Booked: Youga 37, Bailey 41, Hudson 45.

Referee: Andy Hall.

Attendance: 10,716 (521 away).

Rick Cowdery