Blackburn Rovers denied shock win on opening night in Championship

Wolves 2 - 2 Blackburn Rovers

Returning Blackburn Rovers boss Tony Mowbray was denied a dream start to his second spell in charge as a late Raul Jimenez penalty earned Wolverhampton Wanderers a point in the Championship opener 

Author | Peter Grainger

Stadium | Molineux

View from the stands

Wolves, widely tipped to challenge for promotion, appeared on course for the expected three points when Marshall Munetsi powered them in front after 18 minutes.

But Rovers drew level nine minutes later through Sean McLoughlin's first goal for the club, before completing the turnaround when Andri Gudjohnsen struck three minutes into the second half.

Mowbray's side defended resolutely for much of the second period and even threatened to extend their lead, only for Ryan Alebiosu's clumsy handball to result in a penalty awarded by referee Farai Hallam.

Both sets of fans watch on

Second-half substitute Jimenez kept his composure after an almost comically long, stuttering run-up to send the spot-kick into the bottom-right corner.

Wolves got away with it

These were the words of Jamie P who watched the match as a neutral: "Wolves perhaps got away with one given their second-half display. They enjoyed plenty of possession, but did not do enough with it to seriously trouble Blackburn. There were some promising positions in wide areas, but the quality of the final ball and decision-making was often lacking.

"Blackburn were excellent for long spells and deservedly took the lead, looking relatively comfortable as the game progressed.

"The penalty was a huge decision and a particularly difficult one to call, with it far from clear whether the handball occurred inside the box."