Wolverhampton Wanderers made a statement of their ambition for promotion from the Championship with a deserved 2-1 win at Blackburn Rovers in their first game of the season.

Wolves duo Benik Afobe and Dave Edwards struck either side of a comical equaliser from Ben Marshall in the first half, before a breathless opening 45 was followed by a more restrained second period.

Wolves boss Kenny Jackett will be satisfied with his side's performance as the visitors showed few signs of missing former favourite Bakary Sako, but the result will pile early pressure on Gary Bowyer with his Rovers side predicted to struggle in the new season.

Blackburn with the early pressure

Despite the loss of star forward Rudy Gestede and the uncertainty surrounding the future of Jordan Rhodes, it was Blackburn who threatened first and could have been ahead with less than two minutes played.

Marshall teed up Rhodes and the Scotland international released a searing shot toward goal, but his 25-yard strike cannoned off the outside of the post and wide. Marshall himself went close with a well-hit shot soon after before Shane Duffy saw a header tipped over the crossbar from Marcus Olsson's corner.

Rovers were controlling the game and restricting the visitors well, and with 20 minutes played had the ball in the net for the first time in the new season. Rhodes was the man with the finish, but he was a huge margin offside with no doubt whatsoever about the linesman's flag.

Afobe puts Wolves ahead on the half-hour mark

However, the first goal of the game came against the run of play with last season's revelation Afobe the unsurprising name on the scoresheet. Moments after Nouha Dicko had just failed to latch on to a ball forward from Dominic Iorfa, Edwards found Afobe at the edge of the area. The former Arsenal man took the ball further before finishing into the bottom-right corner with the outside of his right boot.

The goal seemed to sting Wolves into life and they began to assert themselves on the game more than before. Predictably everything was going towards the strikeforce of Afobe and Dicko with the latter going closest from Karl Henry's cross.

Both sides respond before half-time

Despite this, the equaliser soon came and again it was hugely against the run of play. Debutant Nathan Delfouneso broke into the area and played the ball back for Marshall to let fly at goal. His effort took a huge deflection off Richard Stearman and though Carl Ikeme looked to have reached the ball, he misjudged the flight of the shot and could only tip it into the net via the post.

It took just six minutes for Wolves to steal back the lead in an open, back-and-forth game. Dicko flashed a cross in from the left where Edwards was waiting to divert the ball in - the goal was given but the home side were furious, with debutant Danny Guthrie booked for dissent amid suggestions of handball from the goalscorer to a soundtrack of boos from the home support.

Lull in the action in the second half

Wolves looked to extend their lead immediately in the second half as home-grown full-back Iorfa delivered a low cross from the right which somehow went through everybody, with the ever-dangerous Afobe the closest to getting a touch.

Chances continued to come for both sides with Henry seeing a long-range drive charged down quickly and Adam Henley going to ground in the Wolves area looking for a penalty, but the second half begun to slow down compared to the end of the first. Afobe was down for a few minutes receiving treatment after a heavy challenge from Olsson on the right wing.

Henry almost made the game safe for Wolves with a moment of magic with a quarter of an hour to go, turning past two in blue and white before rattling the crossbar from 25 yards, but the game was becoming bogged down with a number of players needing time out to receive treatment in a full-blooded affair.

Blackburn go close in the last minutes

Blackburn substitute Bangaly-Fode Koita went for the spectacular late on with a 35-yard effort straight at Ikeme after Afobe had volleyed down the throat of David Raya at the other end.

Five minutes of stoppage time past without a goal but not without incident, with Koita almost making himself an instant Blackburn hero as he fired a shot against the post from 25 yards following a corner in the dying embers, but the full-time whistle sounded with Wolves running out 2-1 winners.

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About the author
Sam France
Former Deputy Editor-in-Chief and Features Editor at VAVEL UK, part of the VAVEL team 2014-2018.