Kolo Toure howler perfect for West Brom's Pepe Mel - match analysis

Summer signing and lifelong Evertonian Victor Anichebe made full use of the Liverpool defender's blunder to give himself a sweet memory and his side a well-deserved share of the spoils.

And as the big forward's right-footed shot hit the net at the Birmingham Road end to avert a second defeat in a week, a stadium that had been depressed and subdued for more than an hour came back to life along with Pepe Mel's team.

No-one of a blue and white persuasion will be counting their chickens after more than a year of false dawns and dashed hopes.

But as the volume was cranked up and Albion rediscovered some sparkle for the final 23 minutes of an otherwise flat encounter, Anichebe's goal felt like a moment that had prevented this Albion crisis from spiralling out of control.

• West Brom 1 Liverpool 1 - match report and pictures

For 67 largely forgettable minutes, a disjointed home side had laboured against an out-of-sorts Liverpool team and looked destined to slide to defeat to a Daniel Sturridge goal that came from a rare aberration from a much-improved Baggies back four.

There was plenty of endeavour but precious little cohesion from Mel's men as they once more looked like a weary group of men stranded in a tactical No Man's Land between two footballing philosophies. And as a healthy 26,000-plus crowd fidgeted nervously and stared at another costly afternoon, The Hawthorns was as deathly quiet and resigned to failure as it has been in years.

Suddenly, as Toure's errant pass was seized upon by Anichebe and the powerful targetman stroked the coolest of efforts past a helpless Simon Mignolet, the stands erupted in a mixture of joy and relief and the whole feel of the occasion was transformed.

It was a change in the emotional tide that Mel must pray can carry his battle-scarred troops to greater feats of belief and conviction for some vital dates that lie ahead in the near future.

And should they survive their brush with relegation and remain in the top division when this season of turmoil and recrimination comes to an end, Albion fans might look back at Toure's generosity as a vital ingredient in keeping them afloat.

For the most part, there was little to encourage supporters from another worrying afternoon, despite Mel answering the clamour for change by restoring Billy Jones and Gareth McAuley to a side that imploded defensively against Villa and including Saido Berahino and Matej Vydra to a reshaped forward line.

The back-four alterations worked with the dangerous triumvirate of Luis Suarez, Raheem Sterling and Sturridge only occasionally wreaking the havoc that home supporters arrived at the game fearing could lead to a heavy defeat.

But the attacking alterations – which also included a return for Zoltan Gera in place of an injured James Morrison – failed to bring dividends with Vydra's all-round game proving inadequate to trouble Liverpool's rearguard and Berahino showing that, while his knack for sniffing out goals might be important, his football education remains too incomplete for supporters to bank on him saving their side.

Only when Anichebe arrived from the bench did the Baggies possess any serious punch and the decision to sell Shane Long while Vydra and Berahino are so inexperienced and Nicolas Anelka's future remains so uncertain again looked dubious in the extreme.

The start of the game was turgid from both sides with Suarez hamming a free-kick into the Albion wall before Toure defending well to prevent a Gera cross finding its way to Vydra.

Albion would have settled for the even nature of the scrappy opening exchanges against a potentially potent Reds side, but they were punished for a defensive lapse on 24 minutes when they allowed Suarez to collect a pass from Sterling and cross to the far post, where Sturridge just stayed onside and turned the ball home.

The damage might have become greater for Mel and Co had Suarez not bent a free-kick soon after the goal just off target and Ben Foster not made a brave, diving claim to end a frantic scramble in the Baggies goalmouth that could easily have ended with Liverpool forcing the ball home.

That moment was typical of a poor end to the half for Albion, who failed to make an impression even with their visitors off colour and suffered another blow when Jonas Olsson limped off injured just before the interval.

But they started the second half with a little more vigour and might have drawn level when a Youssouf Mulumbu cross was diverted goalwards by Chris Brunt, only for Jon Flanagan to make an important block.

And from the resulting Brunt corner, a powerful header from McAuley looked to be heading in until Simon Mignolet in the visitors' goal made a fabulous flying save.

But there were still nerves in defence for Mel's charges and Foster did equally well in the Albion goal moments later when he made a fine save with his legs to deny Suarez after the Liverpool striker had rounded substitiute Diego Lugano, his Uruguay captain, who generally performed well as Olsson's deputy after his horror showing at Villa in midweek.

The Baggies were still looking unlikely to unlock the Liverpool defence when, inexplicably, Toure opened the door and invited Anichebe in.

The defender sent a dreadful square pass straight to the feet of Anichebe, who recognised the opportunity and kept his composure superbly to plant a precise effort past Mignolet.

The final whistle brought cheers of approval when, just half an hour earlier, it seemed destined to be greeted by groans of resignation.

Draws alone will not keep Albion up. But at the season's end, they might have much to thank Kolo Toure for.