The past week has seen Liverpool develop a siege mentality, but their plans to restore Anfield to a fortress were dealt a demoralising blow against a marginally improved Blackburn.
Kenny Dalglish's threat of his side administering a hammering, following a chance gluttony matched only by Christmas over-indulgence, continues to go unfulfilled.
A general lack of festive cheer was prevalent across the stadium, save for the support for Luis Suarez; with the club and its fans still reeling from his recent Football Association charge.
Charlie Adam's own goal from a Morten Gamst Pedersen corner on the stroke of half time was not the reward Steve Kean's side deserved but rather punishment for lax defending by the home side.
Not even Maxi Rodriguez, often hailed as the catalyst for Liverpool's finest attacking displays this season, could invigorate his team mates in the first half against a Rovers team lacking direction.
But his talismanic qualities shone through in the second half as he glanced a hooked cross from Martin Skrtel past a helpless Mark Bunn to draw the hosts level shortly after the break.
Steven Gerrard's return as a substitute, slightly ahead of schedule, should have been a shot in the arm of a side that has themselves required leadership in front of goal but ultimately proved fruitless.
Andy Carroll, too, failed to grasp the opportunities Dalglish had prophesied when Jose Enrique's cross was gifted to him by Stewart Downing but his effort at Bunn was alarmingly tame.
His inclusion, at the expense of Dirk Kuyt, should have ushered in a goal rush against Blackburn, who went into today's game with little faith in their manager and 20 points behind their hosts.
Enrique's cross-field ball to Downing proved the move which stirred the entire stadium but it merely broke the consistency of the post-Christmas lull which had been in the foreground from the offset.
Kean had Bunn to thank for helping his side cling on to a stalemate until shortly before the interval.
There was a more vociferous affection for Dalglish from his former subjects in the opening minutes than there for his compatriot in the opposing dugout for the entirety of this game.
Jack Walker's name also reverberated around a small corner of Anfield Road such is the desperation for a return to the days when they were not the laughing stock of the Premier League.
Tensions have been running high ever since the takeover by Venky's, which has seen post-match protests become commonplace at the largely tranquil Lancashire town.
Those demonstrations have carried a particular resonance for the Liverpool fans who battled relentlessly to rid their club of its ill-reputed former custodians, Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
Indeed, it was during this same period last year that peace and goodwill ceased, just two months into a new and promisingly debt-free era of ownership that angry protests returned to the Kop.
Roy Hodgson's position as manager had become untenable, much like that of the Reds' opposite number this afternoon, and his already short-lived tenure was extended by a mere two games.
Fittingly the final nail in this coffin came at Ewood Park, one of his many former stomping grounds, and Dalglish's side attempted to reciprocate the gesture, despite its inevitable futility.
There may not be revolt in the air at Anfield during this year's holidays or a winter chill on what was possibly the mildest Boxing Days in recent memory, but questions are being poured over once more.
Carroll's suitability to Liverpool's style of play has been the subject of intense debate since the turn of the year with this display furthering the belief to the contrary as he appeared sluggish once more.
An overhead kick, cleared comfortably by Grant Hanley, was opportunistic at best.
Downing's £20million valuation has also been a prominent talking point as he delivered another largely inconsistent outing, which saw his chant from the Kop retired early on its first airing.
But this is endemic of Liverpool's wastefulness, as ballls continued to fly across the face of goal unconverted. Six draws out of nine games on home soil seemingly tells its own story.
Anfield has become awash with a sense of predictability as relegation favourites, or rather their goalkeepers, battle valiantly to quell the attempts of an onslaught from the hosts.
Bunn continued the theme in the 94th minute with a stop from Carroll's close-range strike, which will inevitably draw comparisons with some of the game's most famous wonder saves.
Paul Robinson may find himself struggling to recapture the number one spot at Ewood Park after an oustanding senior debut from the perennial bench-warmer.
It was followed up by Adam Henley, languishing in Rovers' reserves team last season, as he bravely denied Daniel Agger on the line with the last kick of the game to earn the under-fire side a rare point.
Gerrard's rejuvenation, following a year decimated by injury, should have a similar effect on his team mates in the coming weeks if his second-half cameo is a reliable judge.
Whether this alone can help Liverpool look within and deliver a clinical performance without the need to delve into the transfer market next month, however, remains to be seen.
LIVERPOOL (4-4-2): Reina; Johnson, Agger, Skrtel, Enrique; Maxi (Bellamy 81), Henderson, Adam (Gerrard 69), Downing; Carroll, Suarez. Subs (not used): Doni, Carragher, Kelly, Shelvey, Kuyt
BLACKBURN (4-5-1): Bunn; Lowe, Samba, Hanley, Henley; Hoilett (Vukcevic 75), Dunn (Petrovic 84), Pedersen, Nzonzi, Formica; Yakubu (Goodwillie 90+2). Subs (not used): Kean, Rochina, Blackman, Morris.
Goals: Adam OG (45+1), Maxi (53)
Booked: Agger
Attendance: 44,441
Referee: Mike Jones (Cheshire)
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