Wrexham vs Wolves Ends 1-1 as O'Brien Answers Armstrong in Two Minutes

Lewis O'Brien scored his first goal of the season two minutes after Adam Armstrong had put Wolverhampton Wanderers in front, and Wrexham held firm for a 1-1 draw at the Racecourse Ground on Saturday that kept Wolves off the top of the Championship.

Both goals came in a two-minute spell midway through the first half of the Championship matchday 15 game. The point extended Wolves' unbeaten run to six matches, but it was not the win they needed. A victory would have taken Cesar Peixoto's side to the top of the table. Instead they left Wales with a draw from a ground where they have never won.

Two goals in two minutes

Armstrong opened the scoring in the 25th minute. Defender Nasser Djiga played a long ball forward and the experienced striker finished past the onrushing goalkeeper to give the visitors the lead their pressure had been building toward.

The lead lasted two minutes. Issa Kabore delivered from the right and O'Brien got between two defenders to head Wrexham level in the 27th minute. It was the midfielder's first goal of the season, and it changed the feel of the afternoon. Wrexham, backed by a full and loud home crowd, no longer had to chase the game, and Wolves had to start again.

A fixture 38 years in the making

This was only the seventh league meeting between the two clubs in 102 years, and the first since 1988. Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney were in attendance at the Racecourse Ground to watch it.

Wolves have still never won at this ground. That record looked under threat for long spells, because the visitors had the larger share of the ball and kept pushing Wrexham back after the break. The home side defended their box in numbers, cleared their lines, and slowed the game whenever they could. Wolves midfielder Marshall Munetsi headed over the top during one of the visitors' strongest spells, and the longer the second half went on, the more the home crowd sensed the point was theirs to keep.

What the point means

For Wolves, the draw is a missed chance. They remain unbeaten in six, and their run keeps them in the promotion fight, but the top spot was there to be taken on Saturday and they could not take it.

For Wrexham and manager Phil Parkinson, the point carries weight beyond the table. His side matched one of the division's strongest teams for long stretches, answered a setback within two minutes, and gave their supporters a result to remember from a fixture most of them had never seen played in the league before. Results like this one also ease the pressure that had been building on Parkinson after an uneven run of league form.

Wrexham's players left the field to a standing ovation. Wolves left knowing the two minutes after they scored were the two minutes that cost them first place.