Premier League: Blackburn 1 Wolves 2

Wolves beat Blackburn 2-1 at Ewood Park, their first win over Rovers in nine attempts, to get the new league campaign off to a fine start.

Goals

from Stephen Fletcher and Stephen Ward cancelled out Mauro Formica’s

20th-minute opener to put early pressure on Rovers boss Steve Kean.

In

a fairly even affair Rovers took the lead through Argentine striker

Formica but it was then all Wolves as the visitors created numerous

chances, with Fletcher getting them level before Ward fired in a left

foot volley after Kevin Doyle had missed a penalty.

None of

Blackburn’s three summer signings started but David

Goodwillie and Bruno Ribeiro were both named on the subs’ bench. A

defensive crisis saw youngster Grant Hanley start at the centre of

defence alongside Steven Nzonzi in the absence of Christopher Samba and

Ryan Nelsen.

Wolves manager Mick McCarthy put new signings Roger Johnson and

Jamie O’Hara straight into his starting line-up, and Johnson also wore

the captain’s armband. McCarthy lined up with a 4-4-2 formation with

Fletcher and Doyle leading the line, and Karl Henry joining up

with O’Hara in the centre of midfield.

The game began in lively fashion but it was the home side who had the first chance of the

match in the third minute through Junior Hoillett. Morten Pedersen

played a wonderful right wing cross towards the winger at the back post

but Hoillett’s effort was cleared off the line by a fantastic save from

Wayne Hennessey, and in the ensuing goalmouth scramble Rovers could not force

the ball over the line.

However 17 minutes later Rovers did open the scoring through debutant Formica, although all the credit should go to Jason Roberts. The striker battled

for a long ball over the top of the Wolves defence before laying the

ball right into the path of the Argentine who calmly slotted the ball

past Hennessey. The Wolves keeper managed to get a hand on the low shot

but it wasn’t enough to stop the ball rolling over the line.

That goal seemed to spark the visitors into life and with their first real attack they equalised through Fletcher.

Richard Stearman and Matt Jarvis combined down the right before Jarvis

lifted the ball to the back post where Fletcher out-jumped Michel Salgado to

head past keeper Paul Robinson

Six minutes after equalising Wolves had a

fantastic chance to take the lead but Stephen Hunt was unable to

capitalise on some good fortune. The Irish winger controlled a Stephen

Ward cross from the right and got a little bit of luck to beat Salgado

on the edge of the penalty area but he blasted the ball over the bar

from 15 yards.

The visitors were very much in the ascendancy now

and they had another great chance to take the lead through Johnson. A

flowing move saw O’Hara find Doyle on the right wing, the Irishman’s

cross was too strong for Fletcher but it was met by Johnson, the

defender beat Nzonzi in the air but was unable to keep his header down.

Wolves

began the second half as they had finished the first and in the first

minute they took the lead for the first time in the match through Ward.

Fletcher charged at the Blackburn defence before releasing Jarvis

inside the penalty area, he tried to go past Salgado but the Spaniard

brought him down.

Doyle’s spot kick was saved by Robinson but when

the ball was cleared to the edge of the penalty area Ward

rifled in a left-foot volley.

In the 66th minute Blackburn had

their first real chance of the second half when Hanley won a challenge

from a right wing corner, the ball dropped to Nzonzi who headed towards

goal and Roberts instinctively swung a leg at it but couldn’t divert it

on goal.

Rovers were throwing everything at Wolves and after a

mazy dribble Hoillett rolled the ball into the path of substitute Ruben

Rochina but the Spaniard low left foot strike from the edge of the area

was just wide of Hennessey’s right hand post.

Just over 10 minutes after

coming on as a substitute Goodwillie came closest to getting

Rovers level, he jinked inside two defenders before firing a low right

foot shot just wide of Hennessey’s far post. The Scottish striker’s pace

and trickery created the space and he was unlucky not to register a

debut goal.