Alebiosu addresses controversial penalty call in Blackburn vs Wolves clash

Super Eagles and Blackburn Rovers defender Ryan Alebiosu has reacted to the controversial penalty decision that went against him during his side’s 2-2 draw against Wolves on Friday night, Soccernet.ng reports.

Blackburn Rovers opened their 2026-27 EFL Championship campaign away at Molineux against Wolves and were denied a win by a late penalty in stoppage time, which allowed the hosts to snatch a point.

Alebiosu was penalized after the ball struck his hand from a cross by Jackson Tchatchoua near the edge of the box. Although it appeared that the handball occurred outside the penalty area and with no VAR in the EFL, referee Farai Hallam pointed to the spot.

Raul Jimenez, on his return to Wolves, made no mistake from the resulting penalty to earn his side a share of the points in a dramatic Championship opener.

Marshall Munetsi had put Wolves ahead in the 18th minute after a good build-up involving Kieran Trippier and Fer Lopez. Blackburn responded almost immediately, with Sean McLoughlin heading home from Ryoya Morishita’s cross to bring the visitors level.

Rovers then completed the turnaround three minutes after half-time when Andri Gudjohnsen found the back of the net. However, Jimenez’s late penalty denied Blackburn all three points and ensured the game ended 2-2.

Alebiosu reacts to late Wolves penalty decision

The Super Eagles defender played the full 90 minutes and was named Player of the Match after an impressive individual display. However, his handball ultimately proved costly as Blackburn were forced to settle for a point.

Speaking after the game, Alebiosu, who has been linked with an exit from the club his summer, admitted that he was frustrated by the decision and insisted that he believed he was outside the penalty area when the ball struck his hand.

“We’re frustrated. The boys have done everything to get the three points. The ball has been played and I thought I was outside the box… obviously, the decision has gone against us”, the Super Eagles defender said post-match.

Blackburn coach Tony Mowbray, who was denied a dream start on his return to the club, was also unhappy with the decision and felt the handball had taken place outside the box.

“Having watched the still pictures, it looks outside the box to me. If it hits him on the hand and it’s away from his body, I suppose in modern-day football [it’s a penalty]. But it still looks outside the box to me.”

Despite the controversial decision, Alebiosu enjoyed an excellent performance at right-back and appears to have picked up where he left off last season.

🏆 Ryan Alebiosu was named @SkyBet Player of the Match after a fantastic performance down the right 👏#WOLvROV | #Rovers 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/iSznZqLZNR

— Blackburn Rovers (@Rovers) August 14, 2026

The 24-year-old is also confident that Blackburn can put last season’s disappointing finish behind them and challenge much higher up the Championship table if they maintain the level of performance they showed against Wolves.

“The boys dug deep and we thought we had it. Just the final details with the penalty is frustrating. If we play like that every week, we’ll go far in the table.”

Blackburn Rovers will now be looking for their first win of the new Championship season when they host Middlesbrough at Ewood Park next weekend.