Wolverhampton Wanderers opened their first Championship campaign since 2018 with a stumble, needing a stoppage-time penalty from Raúl Jiménez to salvage a 2-2 draw against Blackburn Rovers at Molineux on Friday night.
Marshall Munetsi put Wolves ahead in the 18th minute, finishing a move started by Fer López. Blackburn leveled through Sean McLoughlin in the 28th and then took the lead three minutes into the second half when Andri Guðjohnsen tapped in off a deflected cross. Wolves were rescued in the third minute of stoppage time when referees pointed to the spot after Ryan Alebiosu blocked a cross with his arm; Jiménez sent goalkeeper Balázs Tóth the wrong way to complete the comeback, according to ESPN's match report.
"It's amazing to be back, scoring in the first game of the season," Jiménez said afterward. "It's not the result we were looking for."
The draw was a rough first outing for Wolves under new head coach Cesar Peixoto, hired after the club sacked Rob Edwards following a Premier League season that ended with just three wins — the club's lowest league total ever — and relegation back to the second tier. Peixoto, previously in charge of Portugal's Gil Vicente, signed a two-year deal at Molineux with the stated aim of returning Wolves to the top flight at the first attempt, according to Sky Sports.
"We played more with heart than with our heads or brain," Peixoto said. "We lost organisation and it was more difficult."
For Blackburn, the point was a promising start to a season under a familiar face. Tony Mowbray, in his second spell at Ewood Park, took his side into the opener after Rovers narrowly avoided relegation from the Championship last season. Mowbray disputed the penalty call that cost his team the win, telling reporters that replays left him unconvinced Alebiosu's block came inside the box: "Having watched the still pictures it looks outside the box to me," he said, per Sky Sports' full report.
Both clubs will have chances to make a stronger first impression when the Championship schedule turns over next weekend. Wolves, carrying promotion favoritism into the campaign after their relegation, will want to show Friday's shaky defending was an opening-night blip rather than a sign of a hangover. Blackburn, meanwhile, leave Molineux with a point that instantly justifies preseason optimism around Mowbray's return.