Birmingham City and Wolverhampton Wanderers played out a pulsating Championship derby that ended level, with both sides squandering golden opportunities to claim all three points.
Adam Armstrong will be haunted by the moment that defined this implausibly open contest, spurning a glorious chance in the 87th minute to win it for Wolves.
Fer López dispossessed Demarai Gray inside the area before squaring for Armstrong, who inexplicably lifted his shot over an open goal from just 10 yards out.
César Peixoto summed it up plainly afterwards, saying: “The way Jack[son Tchatchoua] committed his mistake, Adam committed the mistake in the opposite side.”
Peixoto added: “We have to take the confidence to them and keep fighting and work hard for the next game,” as his side settled for a point they may come to regret.
Birmingham twice came from behind to secure their draw, extending an unbeaten start to the Championship season that manager Chris Davies was keen to celebrate.
Davies said: “I’ll always be content when the players put in that heart and spirit,” and added: “When you look at the quality of their team, I’ll be astonished if they’re not in the top four. Second half, we put them to the sword.”
Tom Wagner, the Birmingham chair, returned to the St Andrew’s directors’ box for the first time since suffering a stroke in February, witnessing a match packed with drama from start to finish.
López opened the scoring in the third minute for Wolves, before Jay Stansfield equalised in controversial circumstances after appearing to handle Patrick Roberts’s brilliant chip before hammering home.
Peixoto called for VAR to be introduced in the Championship following that incident, stating: “I don’t know why they don’t have VAR in the Championship. It’s very important to help the referees to take the best decisions. I saw a handball and in the screen we saw a handball.”
Stansfield, for his part, offered a simple response to the controversy, saying: “If the referee doesn’t see it, then what can you do?”
Ladislav Krejci gave Wolves the lead again with a bullet header after André flicked on Hugo Bueno’s corner, but that advantage lasted only minutes before disaster struck from a most unlikely source.
Tchatchoua, under no pressure whatsoever, attempted to turn a long diagonal from Phil Neumann back to goalkeeper José Sá, but instead looped the ball wide and over the keeper into his own net.
Raúl Jiménez hit the crossbar, as he had done in the 4-2 defeat at West Ham earlier in the week, while Neumann also struck the same woodwork midway through the second half.
Wolves have now conceded 10 Championship goals, with only relegated rivals Burnley having shipped more, exposing defensive frailties that make their top-flight quality count for little.
Marvin Ducksch thought he had snatched a Birmingham winner with a free-kick arcing towards the top corner, but Sá tipped the ball away to justify the new contract he had been awarded.
Peixoto also used his post-match platform to criticise the failure to clamp down on grappling at set pieces, noting that managers had been told by PGMOL in a pre-season meeting that such behaviour would be penalised, but adding bluntly: “It’s not happening.”