SAM ALLARDYCE has paid tribute to Jermain Defoe for displaying the predatory prowess he is renowned for to help secure Sunderland a point at Anfield which has raised hope of a survival push.

Defoe took his tally for the season to ten goals with a deadly 89th minute strike that completed a comeback from falling two goals down at Liverpool.

Roberto Firmino’s header just before the hour and Adam Lallana’s tap in 11 minutes later had put the Reds clear and on course for a much-needed three points.

But then, shortly after thousands of home fans had walked out in protest of increased season ticket prices next season, Sunderland capitalised on a change of mood by claiming a point.

It was Defoe’s clinical strike inside the near post after turning Mamadou Sakho which sealed the draw seven minutes after Adam Johnson’s free-kick had curled inside Simon Mignolet’s near post.

“The crowd has an effect on every player,” said Allardyce. “When it's bad it has an effect, when it's good it lifts them.

“The fear that can go through a player when he gets a bit edgy and then the crowd get edgy as well and pass that fear onto the players is all across the board in the Premier League.

“Maybe it's why we've seen more away wins in the Premier League than we've ever seen this year. It's certainly something the players have to deal with.

“Liverpool got a bit nervous when we scored and we took advantage of it but I have to say the quality of the second goal from Jermain Defoe, I don't think anybody could have stopped that. All we have to do is provide him with more chances to do it and he could be our saviour.”

Sunderland are without a win in four and trail fourth from bottom Newcastle by four points, but encouraging displays against Manchester City and Liverpool in the last week have impressed Wearside – even though Allardyce wasn’t expecting his team to come back from two down.

He said: “No, no, no. Did you? A bit of quality can always change a game, can't it? The old adage that goals change games, in the last 15 minutes it changed it in our favour. It didn't look possible when we went 2-0 down.

“It's a strange old game – it never changes, does it? We were brilliant on Tuesday against Manchester City, created more chances than them, played better than they did, did everything right more than they did.

“Today the only thing we defended well was until the first goal – we certainly didn't do very well defending the second goal well. But then when we scored we had a bit more belief about us and we scored two quality goals.

“We showed a goal will change a game and if you don't give up and you never say die and you've got Jermain Defoe up front, you can get something out of the game.

“We deserved an awful lot out of the game on Tuesday and didn't get it, we might not have deserved what we got here but we took our chances when they came and got a very precious point. Coming from 2-0 down at Anfield in the position we're in is great credit to the players for never, never saying die.”

Duncan Watmore will be assessed with an ankle problem sustained in the first half, while striker Defoe should be fine for the visit of Manchester United this Saturday despite suffering tightness in his hamstring.