Craig Levein was anxious to add to his impressive record against Bobby Williamson when the pair met for the first time on English soil at the Walkers Stadium.
The Scots enjoyed some epic battles when they clashed while managers at SPL clubs.
This was the 15th time they had pitted their wits against each other with Levein now ahead after eight wins and four draws.
But even he might have admitted that his City side were fortunate to come away with a win.
Leicester had started brightly enough but it was Argyle who took a ninth minute lead with their first attack of the game.
Micky Evans' cross from the right rebounded off Dion Dublin into the path of Tony Capaldi who hammered home a left-foot shot from eight yards.
Apart from a Dublin header from a Jordan Stewart free-kick little was seen of Leicester as an attacking force.
But they were level within four minutes of the restart with a piece of inventive football that had been so lacking in the first half.
Chris Makin played the ball down the right for Keith Gillespie to cross from the byline to the near post where James Scowcroft scored with a glancing header.
Then three minutes later City turned the game completely around when Dublin headed home Makin's cross from five yards.
The Pilgrims could hardly believe the justice of it all. But they refused to be deflated and spent much of the remainder of the game on the offensive.
But Stuart Taylor managed to get a hand to every ball hoisted into his penalty area and the on loan Arsenal keeper saved his best for last when he used his feet to deny Marino Keith when the Plymouth substitute seemed certain to score.