Twitter Reacts as Mario Balotelli Scores Winner in Liverpool vs. Spurs Thriller

Tottenham went into Tuesday evening's clash with Liverpool on the back of a comprehensive victory over their fierce north London rivals, knowing that three points at Anfield would catapult them into the top four. The Reds, meanwhile, were also aware that the game was a crucial step in their quest to re-qualify for the Champions League...

"

Big game for us tonight. We are in form and winning this will help us push closer to that top 4. Need 3 points come on Liverpool #LIVTOT

— Luke Trainer (@luketrainer) February 10, 2015"

Before kick off, it was clear that a lot was at stake—particularly for those Spurs fans who made promises based on the result...  

"

If Spurs beat Liverpool I'm going to cry tears of joy for a whole month without stopping #COYS

— James (@itssjaames) February 10, 2015"

Tottenham have a poor recent record against Liverpool, with their most recent point at Anfield being earned in February 2012. During that drab encounter, a certain little feline stole the show...

Sadly, the moggy was not present, but Michael Owen certainly was in the BT Sports commentary box. Not long after kick-off, he made a howler that had the tautological term "Spurs and Tottenham" trending on Twitter...

Owen wasn't the only one having a bad night: Within the first 10 minutes, Spurs left-back Danny Rose made several errors, and Jordon Ibe left him in the dust.

In the 15th minute, Lazar Markovic broke the deadlock with a soft shot across goal that beat the usually dependable Hugo Lloris...

The Reds, however, could only hold the lead for 11 minutes. Harry Kane surprised no one by bagging his 13th Premier League goal of the season... 

"

He just can't stop scoring HARRY KANE! pic.twitter.com/tYcPGhI4Jn

— Football Trolls (@Footballltrolls) February 10, 2015"

"

Hodgson seeing Kane has scored again. #KaneforEngland pic.twitter.com/rjqMo2VahJ

— Copa90 (@Copa90) February 10, 2015"

At half-time, most fans couldn't stop talking about how great the game had been so far—making this tie a far cry from the dull deadlock that the Anfield cat gatecrashed a few years ago...

After the first 45, Ibe was also trending after putting in yet another impressive shift...

In the 52nd minute, Danny Rose's evening went from bad to worse, when he conceded a penalty by clattering into Daniel Sturridge. Steven Gerrard converted the resulting spot kick.

Less than 10 minutes later, a clumsy challenge by Gerrard on Kane led to a yellow card and a free-kick just outside the area. Simon Mignolet saved Christian Eriksen's effort, but Moussa Dembele was on hand to tap in an equaliser. The Reds faithful shared Mignolet's frustration as he protested for offside during the free kick...

The decision to give the goal and a rather card-happy performance meant that referee Phil Dowd also trended on Twitter during the game. Suffice it to say, most of the comments were not complimentary... 

"

Phil Dowd handing out cards like it's Valentine's Day. It's not until Saturday mate 

— Footy Memes (@FootyMemes) February 10, 2015"

Both sides continued to push for the winner, but in the 83rd minute, something very unexpected happened. Mario Balotelli scored a league goal! Seriously! He did!

"

I try to adjust TV settings as I think they wrong. It say Balotelli score?! pic.twitter.com/laZNFu7l3v

— Angry Di Maria (@angry_dimaria) February 10, 2015"

Afterward, Balotelli had a message for his "believers" on Instagram. 

While Twitter struggled to overcome the shock of Super Mario's effort, Tottenham responded by sending on Roberto Soldado, who immediately conceded a free-kick...

"

Anything can happen in football. If Balotelli can score then so can Soldado... #hope

— COYS News (@CoysNews) February 10, 2015"

Tottenham were unable to get back into the game and it finished 3-2 to the house. On a day when the domestic TV rights were renegotiated for over £5 billion (as per The Guardian), this was seen as a rather good advertisement for the Premier League...

"

£5bn for that? Bargain! #LIVTOT

— LiveFootball (@livefootball) February 10, 2015"

Follow me on Twitter @RyanJayBailey