A pulsating Championship derby between Birmingham City and Wolverhampton Wanderers ended 2-2 at St Andrew's, with Adam Armstrong's glaring late miss ensuring the points were shared after both sides had twice taken the lead.
Wolves striker Armstrong was handed a golden opportunity to snatch victory for his side just three minutes from time. Fer López, one of the game's standout performers, dispossessed Demarai Gray deep in Birmingham territory and squared unselfishly to Armstrong with only the goalkeeper to beat. Remarkably, the prolific forward lifted his effort over an unguarded net from just 10 yards, sparing Birmingham what would have been a damaging defeat in their promotion push.
The match had begun brightly for the visitors, with López opening the scoring inside three minutes. The Spaniard was involved in a slick move that saw Raúl Jiménez feed Rodrigo Gomes, whose low cross to the near post was expertly turned home by López for his third goal of the campaign. Gomes himself should have doubled the lead soon after, latching onto a loose touch from Christoph Klarer following Jiménez's interception, but his effort was well saved by Birmingham goalkeeper James Beadle.
Birmingham hit back through Jay Stansfield, who lashed a fine finish into the top corner after controlling Patrick Roberts' pass into the box, though replays suggested the striker may have used his hand in the build-up. The goal appeared to settle Birmingham briefly, but Wolves regained the lead just after the half-hour mark when captain Ladislav Krejci rose highest to head home from a corner delivered by Hugo Bueno, following a flick-on from André.
Wolves' advantage lasted only minutes. Right-back Jackson Tchatchoua, attempting to control a long diagonal ball from Phil Neumann and pass it back to his goalkeeper, instead sent an ill-judged looping effort over José Sá and into his own net in one of the more memorable own goals of the season. The moment appeared to shift momentum firmly toward the hosts, who grew increasingly dominant as the match progressed.
Both teams struck the woodwork during the contest. Jiménez hit the crossbar for Wolves, having done the same in their midweek 4-2 defeat to West Ham, while Neumann also came close with a header against the same frame for Birmingham. Penalty appeals were waved away at both ends—Jiménez was adjudged not to have been fouled by Bright Osayi-Samuel in the first half, while a second-half claim involving August Priske and André also went unheeded.
As Birmingham pushed for a winner in the closing stages, backed by an increasingly vocal home support, Sá produced a crucial save to deny Marvin Ducksch's dipping free-kick that appeared destined for the top corner, preserving the point for Wolves after Armstrong's earlier miss.
The draw means Birmingham extend their unbeaten start to the league season, continuing to frustrate their recently relegated neighbors' hopes of an immediate return to the automatic promotion places. For Wolves, despite retaining much of their Premier League squad through the summer transfer window, the result served as a reminder that quality alone does not guarantee results in the Championship.
The match also marked a significant occasion off the pitch, with Birmingham chairman Tom Wagner making his first appearance in the St Andrew's directors' box since suffering a stroke in early February—a fitting stage for what proved to be an entertaining and dramatic derby encounter.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.