Wolverhampton Wanderers were held to a 2-2 draw by Birmingham City in a frantic West Midlands derby after Adam Armstrong missed a golden late chance. The match at St Andrew's saw Wolves twice surrender a lead in an implausibly open contest this week.
Fer López gave the visitors a dream start, side-footing home Rodrigo Gomes's right-wing cross at the near post in just the third minute. It was López's third goal of the Championship season. Birmingham levelled in controversial circumstances through Jay Stansfield, with Wolves head coach César Peixoto later claiming a handball in the build-up. Ladislav Krejci restored Wolves' lead before halftime, heading in after André flicked on Hugo Bueno's corner.
The second half continued at a relentless pace. Jackson Tchatchoua's own goal pulled Birmingham level again in bizarre fashion. The defender attempted to turn a long diagonal from Phil Neumann back towards his goalkeeper José Sá, but looped the ball wide and over the stranded keeper into his own net. Wolves had chances to win it. Raúl Jiménez hit the crossbar, and Phil Neumann headed against the woodwork for Birmingham midway through the half.
The defining moment arrived in the 87th minute. López dispossessed Demarai Gray inside the area and squared the ball to Armstrong, who was unmarked 10 yards from an open goal. The striker lifted his shot over the bar, spurning what Peixoto later called a match-winning opportunity. "The way Jack[son Tchatchoua] committed his mistake, Adam committed the mistake in the opposite side," the Portuguese coach said.
César Peixoto's post-match comments were dominated by his frustration at the lack of video technology in the Championship. He pointed specifically to Stansfield's equaliser, which he believed involved a handball. "I don’t know why they don’t have VAR in the Championship," Peixoto said. "It’s very important to help the referees to take the best decisions. I saw a handball and in the screen we saw a handball."
The Wolves boss also referenced a pre-season meeting with Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), where managers were told grappling at corners would be penalised. His side have now conceded 10 goals in the league season, a defensive record better only than Burnley among the teams relegated with them last season.
Chris Davies's Birmingham side showed significant resilience to twice come from behind. They extended their unbeaten start to the league campaign with this point. The match also marked a positive personal moment for chair Tom Wagner, who returned to the St Andrew's directors' box for the first time since suffering a stroke in February.
Davies expressed satisfaction with his team's spirit. "I’ll always be content when the players put in that heart and spirit," the Birmingham manager stated. He acknowledged Wolves' quality, adding, "When you look at the quality of their team, I’ll be astonished if they’re not in the top four." Birmingham's Marvin Ducksch forced a fine save from José Sá with a free-kick, a reminder of the goalkeeper's value after his recent new contract.
The draw leaves Wolves reflecting on missed opportunities after a 4-2 defeat to West Ham on Tuesday. Peixoto insisted his team must take confidence from their performance. "We have to take the confidence to them and keep fighting and work hard for the next game," he said. Wolves retained the majority of their Premier League squad after the transfer deadline, and their upcoming fixtures will test that depth.
Key players like Jiménez, who earlier stole the ball after a poor touch from Christoph Klarer only to see his dinked attempt saved by James Beadle, will be central to their promotion push. The current Championship standings show the competitive nature of the division. Wolves' next match is against Coventry City at Molineux on Saturday 12th September.
