Having given up swathes of possession, the Baggies were lucky to go in at the break only trailing to Sadio Mane’s brilliant opener but encouraged by an uncharacteristically rare lack of cutting edge from their hosts – who had put seven past Crystal Palace last time out – they grew into their surroundings.

And with Liverpool’s possession not gaining them anything after the break, Ajayi made up for his mistake in losing Mane for his goal by heading in an 82nd-minute equaliser.

In reality the Baggies did not look like ending the Reds’ unbeaten home run, now at 67 matches, but did enough to capitalise when it mattered as Allardyce picked up his first point in the battle against relegation for which he has been appointed.