Jay Stansfield scored his first goal of the season as Birmingham City twice fought back to secure a 2-2 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers in a chaotic West Midlands derby at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.
Fer Lopez and Ladislav Krejci twice put the visitors ahead in the first half, but Stansfield's thunderous finish and a comical own goal from Jackson Tchatchoua ensured the spoils were shared in front of 27,503 fans.
Chairman's return and early setback
Blues chairman Tom Wagner attended his first game since suffering a stroke in February, igniting the atmosphere for kick-off. However, an early Wolves goal dampened the mood when Rodrigo Gomes found space on the right side of Blues' penalty area to cross for Lopez to stab home his third goal of the season.
Blues could have quickly found themselves two goals down when Christoph Klarer's loose touch gifted the ball to Raul Jimenez, who slipped in Gomes. James Beadle made a fantastic save from Gomes, and Klarer got back to clear the ball off the goal-line.
Stansfield's clinical finish and Wolves' response
The Blues skipper had a good chance to equalise when Paik Seung-ho's corner found him at the far post, but he nodded wide. Blues grabbed the equaliser midway through the first half with a thunderous finish from Stansfield. Patrick Roberts found Stansfield with a delightful ball in behind, and the striker controlled and finished in two clinical touches.
Wolves responded to regain the lead from a corner. Blues failed to deal with the left-wing delivery, and Krejci stole in at the near post to head home. Blues' second equaliser arrived in fortuitous and comical circumstances. Bright Osayi-Samuel's punt forward seemed to carry no danger for Wolves, but in trying to find his goalkeeper, Tchatchoua steered the ball into his own net from 25 yards.
Second-half pressure and missed chances
Blues started the second half the stronger and flooded Wolves' box with throw-ins, corners and crosses. An inviting ball in from Roberts found Phil Neumann's head, but the German's effort deflected onto the crossbar and away from danger. Klarer had a clearer sight of goal when he was picked out by Paik's free-kick, but with the goal gaping and Jose Sa rooted to the spot, Klarer headed wide.
Blues made most of the running in the second half, but Wolves could have snatched victory with three minutes to play. Lopez found space inside the box and squared it for Adam Armstrong to blaze over from 12 yards. Blues weren't happy to settle for a point. Neumann found himself as the furthest man forward in the final minute, but he looked like a defender when attempting to find the unmarked substitute Luis Vazquez.
Player ratings and impact
James Beadle was rated 7 for his excellent save from Gomes following Klarer's mistake, with the young goalkeeper asked to play out more than in recent months to beat the Wolves press. Bright Osayi-Samuel earned an 8 for outstanding defensive cover, with his pace a real asset going both ways. Phil Neumann and Christoph Klarer both received 7s, with Neumann making vital defensive contributions and Klarer having two big chances to score that he didn't take.
Alex Cochrane, Tomoki Iwata, Paik Seung-ho and Liam Millar all earned 7s, while Patrick Roberts and Jay Stansfield both impressed with 8s. Roberts should now be considered ahead of Vicente in the pecking order, and Stansfield was a thorn in Wolves' side with his running off the ball. Substitutes Demarai Gray, Carlos Vicente, Marvin Ducksch and Luis Vazquez all received 6s, with Ethan Laird's late cameo not rated.
As a result, the spoils were shared on a day where Blues again showed they can compete with the Championship's best. The draw leaves Birmingham City level on points with their rivals, with the club's next fixture set to test their credentials further.
