Raul Jimenez marked his return to Molineux with a 92nd-minute penalty, rescuing a 2-2 draw for Wolverhampton Wanderers against Blackburn Rovers in the first match of the Championship season. It was his first Wolves goal for 1,311 days, and his first league appearance for the club in three years after a free transfer from Fulham.
The opening promised something calmer. Kieran Trippier began the move and Fer Lopez threaded the pass for Marshall Munetsi to roll a finish under Balazs Hoth in the 17th minute, the first league goal of the season. Lopez, back from a loan at Celta Vigo, was the best footballer on the pitch.
The lead lasted nine minutes. Ryoya Morishita crossed and Sean McLoughlin headed beyond Dan Bentley in the 26th. Blackburn went ahead in the 47th, Oladapo Afolayan finding space down a Wolves left where David Moller Wolfe deputised for the injured Hugo Bueno, his cross turned in by Andri Gudjohnsen ahead of Yerson Mosquera.
Wolves finished with 55% of the ball and 18 shots to Blackburn's 10, but only three on target against the visitors' five, and for long stretches of the second half created nothing at all. Then Jackson Tchatchoua's cross struck the arm of Ryan Alebiosu, a penalty was given, and Jimenez sent Hoth the wrong way.