Bristol City's automatic promotion hopes were dented by a Rory Fallon double at Ashton Gate which kept Plymouth in the play-off frame.
Fallon latched on to Gary Teale's cross to fire Plymouth ahead from 12 yards.
Teale's corner caused havoc in the City box and Fallon pounced from close range to double Plymouth's advantage.
Lee Trundle's penalty, after Jermaine Easter handled, gave the Robins hope, but Dele Adebola squandered two good chances to salvage a point.
Bristol City boss Gary Johnson: "If we want to win automatic promotion we will have to play a lot better than that.
"We talked about getting in more shots but didn't have the quality where it mattered to get them on target.
"We weren't clever enough in our approach play. Other results went for us but it was a great opportunity missed."
Plymouth boss Paul Sturrock: "We're not a team that can win by playing pretty football and I haven't been happy with the way we've gone about things.
"But this was a blood and snorter game, which is how I like it and it suits us best.
"We're a very honest team and when it comes to a battle we are very hard to beat."
Bristol City: Basso, Orr, Carey, Fontaine (Vasko 66), McAllister, Brian Wilson (Sproule 46), Carle, Elliott, McIndoe, Byfield (Trundle 70), Adebola.Subs Not Used: Weale, Murray.
Goals: Trundle 74 pen.
Plymouth: Douglas, Connolly, Seip, Anderson, Sawyer, Teale (Abdou 79), Wotton, Clark, Halmosi (Nalis 69), Easter (Mackie 79), Fallon.Subs Not Used: MacLean, Hodges.
Goals: Fallon 45, 59.
Att: 19,011.
Ref: Tony Bates (Staffordshire).
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