If only Adam Armstrong, the Wolves striker presented with a golden chance three minutes from time, had finished with the same style as his teammate Jackson Tchatchoua when scoring one of the season’s most memorable own goalsbefore half-time, then César Peixoto’s team would surely be sitting in second place in the Championship.
Instead, Armstrong lifted his shot over an open goal and Birmingham deserved to extend their unbeaten start to the league season as they capitalised on Tchatchoua’s howler.
Tom Wagner was back in the St Andrew’s directors’ box for the first time since a stroke in early February and the Birmingham chairman was treated to a thrilling derby. Spoils were shared but fans of the home side, extending their unbeaten start to the season, ended the happier after they twice came from behind to deny their recently relegated neighbours a place back in the automatic promotion frame.
Fer López scored in the third minute for Wolves and, after Jay Stansfield equalised in controversial circumstances, Ladislav Krejci gave the visitors the lead again just after the half hour. But then came a moment that could haunt Tchatchoua for some time. The Cameroon right-back was under no pressure as he went to turn a long diagonal from Phil Neumann back towards his goalkeeper – but instead looped the ball wide and over José Sé and into his own goal.
It was the moment that set the tempo for the rest of a game and reminded Wolves that, despite retaining the majority of their Premier League squad after last Tuesday’s transfer deadline, sheer quality of player alone will not mean promotion.
López was involved in the build-up before Raúl Jiménez’s pass out to Rodrigo Gomes invited the cross to the near post from which the Spaniard sidefooted home his third goal of the season.
Gomes should have put Wolves 2-0 up in the 19th minute. Christoph Klarer’s poor touch invited Jiménez to steal the ball and put in the winger who, after scoring twice in last Saturday’s 4-1 win over Stoke, looked confident as he angled on goal. But his dink invited James Beadle to produce a fine save.
Stansfield appeared to handle Patrick Roberts’ fine ball into his path but there was no doubting the emphatic manner in which the striker lashed the ball into the near top corner.
Krejci, the Czechia captain, is one of the elite players Wolves were delighted to keep hold of this summer. He may be disappointed not still to be playing in the top division but his bullet header, after André flicked on Hugo Bueno’s corner, gave Wolves a quick endorphin boost.
It was short-lived however as Tchatchoua lobbed home his tragi-comic own goal. Jiménez struck the crossbar, as he did in Tuesday’s 4-2 defeat at West Ham, but then again, Neumann headed against the same woodwork midway through the second half.
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Both sides had a big shout for a penalty – Jiménez went down under Bright Osayi-Samuel’s challenge in the first half, August Priske under André’s in the second – but as Birmingham, their tails up along with their fans’, dominated possession after the break Wolves had the clearest of many chances for both teams to win the game, in the 87th minute.
López dispossessed Demarai Gray from a long ball into the area and, faced with the goalkeeper, unselfishly squared for Armstrong. One of the Championship’s most proven goalscorers somehow contrived to lift the ball over the empty goal from 10 yards out.
There was still time for Birmingham to think they had won it as Marvin Ducksch arced his free-kick towards the top corner. There, however, was Sá, another surprising retainee at Wolves, to show why he was awarded a new contract this season to tip the ball aside and ensure this pulsating derby finished even.
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