Leicester 2 West Brom 1: Late Baggies hammerblow as 10 away defeats equals near-century record
Albion shipped a 95th-minute winner at Leicester to slump to 10 consecutive away defeats for the first time in 99 years.
Under-fire boss Ryan Mason and his troops appeared to have stopped the rot with a 1-1 draw at the King Power Stadium through Karlan Grant's first-half equaliser to ensure it would not be double figures of away misery.
But the Albion away end - loud all night - were left chanting "we want Mason out" and "Ryan Mason get out of our club" after Abdul Fatawu smashed a stunning volley into the top corner deep into stoppage time.
The Baggies had delivered one of their best halves of football in some time and spurned several chances in the second period, with home goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk by some way the busier between the sticks.
Albion were denied by the post and several saves but there was a late, late sting in the tail delivered by Fatawu to a scarcely-populated stadium given home protests.
Mason looked crestfallen as his side were hit by a sucker-punch to etch their name into the record books in unwanted style. They are now one defeat away from the all-time club record, also from 1926/17 and between 1890 and 1891 - with a return trip to Swansea on Sunday.
The ownership group were not in attendance in Leicester but yet another defeat and angry reaction from supporters will do little to ease the pressure on the 18th-placed Baggies, with rivals nearby boasting games in hand.
Club owners Bilkul have called for patience but another defeat will further test that as Championship action is paused for the FA Cup.
Whether Bilkul will take a drastically improved away performance into account remains to be seen when it comes to Mason's future as head coach at The Hawthorns.
Mason shuffled his pack with four changes having used the same starting line-up for fixtures against QPR and Swansea, a win and defeat
In returned goalkeeper Josh Griffiths as the Joe Wildsmith experiment came to a halt after seven games. Wildsmith was beaten from range in south Wales and the head coach had seen enough to revert to academy graduate Griffiths.
Jayson Molumby returned to midfield for a first start since December 12 as Isaac Price and Chris Mepham came into the fold to make it a more familiar Albion XI from earlier in the campaign. Ousmane Diakite, Samuel Iling-Junior and Charlie Taylor made way.
There was very little in a forgettable, low-profile affair by the time the hosts knitted together an opener inside 20 minutes.
Both sides had little spells of the ball into the opposition's final third but there was little sign of any sort of breakthrough.
Leicester knitted together a neat move on the right of their midfield and Bobby De Cordova-Reid slipped a ball behind the Baggies' backline.
Midfielder Jordan James burst through to beat Griffiths to the race on the right side of the box and he pulled the ball square for veteran frontman Ayew to convert.
The lively James sent a difficult effort flicked off-target soon after.
It sounded like the travelling Baggies faithful - with patience of saints - outnumbered their hosts due to the home stayaway boycott.
Their side may have trailed but the visiting fans remained loud. They did retain their humour with chants of "10 in a row ole ole" and other similar jibes, but they otherwise stayed in support.
Mason's side showed signs of a response on half hour.
The Baggies were an inch or two from an equaliser with a first attack of note. Mikey Johnston helped initiate it from the right with a dangerous cross. Leicester failed to clear and Albion delivered again form the other flank.
Goalkeeper Stolarczyk was unconvincing with his punch and it fell to Johnston, who beat his defender to a difficult diving header chance.
The winger got enough purchase to send it goalwards but there was the covering skipper Ricardo Pereira to clear.
Albion were on the front foot though and grabbed an equaliser 10 minutes before the break.
George Campbell, who defended well, started it from right-back with a ball into midfield. Striker Aune Heggebo spun expertly and found Alex Mowatt and the captain released Grant down the left.
Grant has space in the inside left channel but didn't need much of it as he races into the box and sent an unerring finish into the far corner. It was a second well-worked team goal of the night.
The Foxes looked dazed as Albion went for more. The Baggies were inches from the lead as Mowatt's deep cross was met by Campbell at the back post, with green and yellow shirts queuing up, and Campbell's cushioned volley dropped just across goal.
Albion ended the half strongly and once they got going after the break clicked into gear again.
Marti Cifuentes' hosts fired a note of warning as Ben Nelson headed James' corner narrowly wide, but Albion had the lion's share of good chances.
Price, who had been a threat, lifted the first well over with an awkward first-time effort with his weaker left foot.
His next strike was much more convincing. Mepham's raking diagonal pass from deep released Johnston on the right flank. The winger, just offside, took his time at the byline before a measured ball back for Price who rattles the post with a fierce strike.
Replays showed a slight deflection and stunning save at his near post to somehow tip it on to the woodwork.
Bar a James strike off-target the one-way traffic continued.
The busy Stolarczyk was on hand to keep out Heggebo's close-range effort from Campbell after the galivanting full-back had won it back from Hamza Choudhury to cries of "USA USA". Either side of the keeper would've been enough.
Albion remained a threat as Johnston made repeated darts. One drew a low save as Mowatt's free-kick was also fielded.
Half-hearted penalty shouts on Johnston were waved away and, following a flurry of changes, Campbell went close to a deserved goal. He climbed for a perfect leap and towering header but did not find the accuracy with the Polish keeper equal to it.
The hosts' Hamza Choudhury sent a volley wide to keeper Albion honest but those warnings fell on deaf ears.
Albion tried to continue to attack but it was the hosts who found a late second wind and punished the Baggies is gut-wrenching style.
A cross from the left by sub Stephy Mavididi was hammered in on the volley by Fatawu with the game drifting to an end. Mason looked shell-shocked, but he needn't have been. Home boss Cifuentes, booed throughout, had some words of consolation as jeers rang from the away end.
Leicester (4-2-3-1): Stolarcyzk; Pereira (c), Nelson, Okoli, Choudhury; Skipp, James; Fatawu, De Cordova-Reid (Page, 70), Monga (Mavididi, 70); Ayew (Daka, 80).
Subs not used: Begovic, Vestergaard, Marcal, L Thomas, S Thomas, Aluko
Albion (4-2-3-1): Griffiths; Campbell, Phillips, Mepham, Styles; Mowatt (Diakite, 79), Molumby; Johnston, Price (Iling-Junior, 79), Grant; Heggebo (Maja, 72).
Subs not used: Wildsmith, Taylor, Gilchrist, Bielik, Bostock, Dike
Referee: Stephen Martin