Mario Balotelli Finally Makes Liverpool Mark to Maintain Reds' Run

ANFIELD, LIVERPOOL — Mario Balotelli broke his Premier League goalscoring duck for Liverpool in his 13th Premier League appearance for the club, scoring the winning goal in an entertaining 3-2 win over Tottenham.

Balotelli's 83rd-minute goal gave Liverpool the lead for a third time, with the visitors having cancelled out Lazar Markovic's opener and Steven Gerrard's penalty through goals from Harry Kane and Mousa Dembele.

Brendan Rodgers' side held on to the three points to move to within a point of Spurs in the table. It was a much-needed win in the pursuit for a Champions League place via the top four.

Balotelli

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Having been left out of the squad for the last three games—against West Ham, Bolton and Everton—Balotelli returned for Liverpool in place of Fabio Borini among the subs.

Rodgers seemingly wanted a more direct presence from the bench to replace the returning Daniel Sturridge, who was never going to play the full 90 minutes on his first start for the club in five months. With Raheem Sterling ruled out earlier in the day with a foot injury, Rodgers turned to Balotelli over Rickie Lambert.

The Italian entered the fray in the 74th minute, replacing Sturridge, who had given Liverpool a much-missed presence up front but also looked extremely rusty on occasion too.

It's fair to say that had Sturridge been fully match fit, this game would have been over by half-time.

Liverpool

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Liverpool continued their impressive form in 2015—the only unbeaten team in the top flight since the turn of the year.

There were plenty of positives for Rodgers—not least the excellence of Jordon Ibe on the right side again. The 19-year-old built on his Merseyside derby performance with another impressive display, giving Danny Rose a nightmare in Spurs defence.

Similarly impressive was Emre Can, who once again stood up and led the Liverpool side. Just like last week against Bolton, the German provided the drive and power from midfield.

Against Bolton, Can provided the assist for Sterling's equaliser; against Spurs he dominated at the back and then again once moving into midfield after Gerrard made way after 68 minutes.

This was a superb win for Liverpool, another late winner which inevitably boosts confidence again, just as last week against Bolton in the FA Cup. Momentum is building, and with each game the understanding in Liverpool's side looks more and more cohesive.

Two of their expensive summer signings, Balotelli and Adam Lallana, combined to provide the winning goal after coming off the bench. After a miserable first half to the season, the tide looks to have turned in the Reds' favour.