Man of the Match Alebiosu speaks out about spot kick in stalemate with Blackburn

Ryan Alebiosu, the Super Eagles defender who was named Player of the Match, has spoken out about the disputed penalty decision that prevented Blackburn Rovers from securing a win against Wolves in their Championship opener at Molineux on Friday.

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Alebiosu's arm was struck by the ball from a cross by Jackson Tchatchoua, and referee Farai Hallam pointed to the spot in stoppage time, despite replays indicating that the handball occurred outside the box, in a match where VAR was not available due to EFL rules.

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Raul Jimenez converted the resulting penalty to earn Wolves a 2-2 draw, canceling out Blackburn's hard-fought lead, which had been achieved through goals from Sean McLoughlin and Andri Gudjohnsen, after Marshall Munetsi had initially put Wolves ahead in the 18th minute.

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Alebiosu, who played the full 90 minutes, expressed his frustration with the decision, stating that he believed the ball had been played outside the box, and that the team had done everything to secure the three points.

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Blackburn coach Tony Mowbray shared Alebiosu's sentiments, saying that the still pictures suggested the handball occurred outside the box, although he acknowledged that in modern-day football, the decision to award a penalty might be justified if the ball had hit Alebiosu's hand while it was away from his body.

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Alebiosu remained proud of his teammates' effort and confident that Blackburn could challenge higher up the table if they maintained their level of performance, saying that the team had dug deep and thought they had secured the win, but were frustrated by the penalty decision.

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Blackburn Rovers will now seek their first win of the new season when they host Middlesbrough at Ewood Park next weekend, looking to build on their impressive display against Wolves.