EFL Championship REVIEW 6 Sep 2026: the model backed Birmingham, and the derby's four goals came before the half-hour

The model backed Birmingham at home and got a draw instead: 2-2 with Wolves, every goal inside the first 36 minutes. Fernando Lopez started and finished a slick move to put Wolves ahead in the third minute; Jay Stansfield levelled for Birmingham in the 22nd; Ladislav Krejci powered in a header from a corner to restore the Wolves lead in the 31st; and it was level again by the 36th in the oddest fashion, Jackson Tchatchoua looping a harmless back-pass over his own goalkeeper Jose Sa and in.

The occasion carried its own weight. It was the first meeting between the two since 2018, eight years apart in different divisions, and the derby picked up as though it had never been away — all four goals shared before the half-hour, and neither side able to find a fifth after it. A point that felt about right on a night whose real story was the fixture being back at all, even if the model's home call was not among the winners.