The decision by some Leicester fans to boycott the match in protest at how owner Khun Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha has run the club in recent years, meant there were large numbers of empty seats at the 32,000-capacity King Power Stadium.

But Jordan Ayew gave the home supporters who showed up on a cold evening an early reason to celebrate, linking up with Jordan James in the box to sweep home the opening goal from eight yards out.

Karlan Grant, however, equalised for the Baggies before the break with a curling finish.

West Brom created several second-half chances – an Isaac Price effort deflected onto the post, while Foxes goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk made several fine saves before Ghanaian winger Fatawu powered home the winner in the last-minute of stoppage time.

Victory took Leicester into 12th place, just four points off a play-off place, but the result left West Brom just seven points above the relegation zone.

“Probably more busy than I wanted to be but today was one of those games that we had to just grind out the result and wait for our opportunities,” Stolarczyk told Sky Sports.

West Brom boss Ryan Mason said the result, the Baggies’ sixth defeat in eight matches, “summed up our season”.

“We weren’t killers when we had our opportunities,” he said.

Mason added: “Last seven or eight games, obviously we’re on a disastrous run but in terms of the performances and goalmouth action, shots on target, chances created, we’ve come out on top in every single game.

“But we haven’t been able to transfer that to results and unfortunately we’ve been punished again tonight.”