Liverpool vs. Besiktas: Winners and Losers from Europa League Game
Liverpool earned a key 1-0 victory over Besiktas in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night by way of a Mario Balotelli penalty in the 85th minute.
The strike from the spot allows the Reds to take a one-goal advantage into the second leg of their round-of-32 clash in Istanbul next Thursday.
Brendan Rodgers' side created 18 shots in the match at Anfield, but it took them until the final minutes of the game to finally convert on a scoring opportunity.
Here's a look at the winners and losers from Liverpool's victory over Besiktas.
Winner: Jordon Ibe
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Jordon Ibe was an absolute menace on the right wing all night for Liverpool, and he was finally rewarded for his efforts in the 84th minute.
Ibe earned a penalty for the hosts after he was pulled down by Ramon Motta on the right edge of the penalty area. After the 19-year-old earned the spot kick, Balotelli hit his penalty into the left side of the net to hand Liverpool a late one-goal advantage.
The 84th-minute event was a perfect representation of how much trouble Ibe caused on the right flank throughout the match, as he was able to breeze past Motta on a few occasions. The young player did not record a shot on goal in his European debut, but he did make three key passes in an attempt to break down the stingy Besiktas defense before earning the crucial penalty.
If he continues to shine on the big stage for the Reds, Rodgers will have to include the 19-year-old in his starting XI on a more regular basis.
Ibe earned the praises of Rodgers after the match, per the club's official website:
"You've seen the kid's performances since he's come back from his loan period and he is growing all the time. He's played in big games and is getting good experience at 19. He is a real threat every time he has the ball," Rodgers said.
Loser: Adam Lallana
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Adam Lallana was handed a wide-open chance in front of goal in the 49th minute, but he failed to hand Liverpool a 1-0 lead.
The Englishman was presented with the opportunity by Besiktas 'keeper Cenk Gonen and defender Pedro Franco. But once he was able to latch on to the ball, Lallana pummeled his shot high into the stands.
The miss came only a few days after Lallana thrived as an opportunist against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup.
Luckily for Lallana, Liverpool recovered from the miss by way of Balotelli's 85th-minute penalty. But the awful shot off target may cost Lallana his place in the starting lineup.
With Raheem Sterling almost back to full fitness and Ibe performing well, Lallana could be relegated to the bench for the team's trip to Southampton on Sunday.
Winner: Mario Balotelli
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Balotelli received a bit of criticism when he took the ball away from Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson in the seconds before his game-winning penalty.
Although Henderson was wearing the captain's armband with Steven Gerrard out of the lineup, Balotelli was right to take the ball off the midfielder due to his scoring prowess. Of the 29 penalties he has taken as a professional, Balotelli has converted 27 of them, per Opta.
After the decision was made, the second-half substitute sent his spot-kick into the left side of the net. An important interaction between Balotelli and Henderson occurred after the strike, as the two embraced each other with smiles on their faces.
The goal marked the second time in three matches in which the Italian has scored off the bench for the Reds, and the third in a row where he has made a massive impact on the final result.
While he may not start over the next few matches because of Daniel Sturridge's presence, Balotelli could continue to be a strong option off the bench in a crucial stretch of matches for Liverpool.
"We got the win, which was the most important factor. We have a number of outstanding penalty takers," Rodgers said after the match, per This is Anfield.
Loser: Demba Ba
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Demba Ba was unable to create another magical memory at Anfield less than a year after his key goal for Chelsea in the English Premier League.
Ba was silenced for most of the night by the Liverpool back three, as he had just 29 touches and fired one shot on target.
The one decent attempt put on goal by the Besiktas forward came in the 35th minute, when he made a bursting run through the Liverpool defense and challenged Simon Mignolet. The Reds goalkeeper got his left hand on Ba's shot and forced a corner, which failed to produce a legitimate opportunity in the box.
Thanks to his lack of efficiency at Anfield on Thursday night, Ba failed to extend his form from the group stage into the round-of-32 clash.
Entering the match, Ba had scored five goals in four matches for the Turkish outfit in the Europa League. He will have to find a way to create chances in the second leg if Besiktas want to stay alive in the competition.
Ba's manager, Slaven Bilic, believes his side still has an opportunity to progress to the round of 16 despite the lack of chances.
"We are definitely still in with a chance to go through," Bilic said after the match, per This is Anfield.
Winner: Martin Skrtel
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Martin Skrtel only let Ba get free on one occasion during the 90 minutes the two were on the pitch together.
The anchor of the Liverpool back three kept the Besiktas forward in check throughout the match, as he barely gave Ba any space to work in the final third. The 30-year-old defender also made key plays against the rest of the Besiktas attack, as he totaled nine clearances and three blocked shots.
While this may not go down as the best performance of his career, Skrtel did do enough to disrupt Ba from getting into an attacking rhythm.
If the Slovakian can produce the same result in the second leg in Istanbul, Liverpool might be able to hold on to a second consecutive clean sheet in the competition.
Losers: The Besiktas Back Four
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The Turkish side's back four was put under pressure all match long by the crafty players in the Liverpool attack, and all four Besiktas players paid the price for it.
Each of Slaven Bilic's defenders received a yellow card at some point in the match, and only Franco committed less than two fouls.
Motta had the worst night of any player at Anfield, as he was tortured on the right flank by Ibe. The 26-year-old was also the player who brought down Ibe in the box and conceded the game-winning penalty to the hosts.
Now that the Liverpool attackers know what to expect from the Besiktas defense, they will head into the second leg with a ton of confidence that they can score a few away goals.
Based off the developments on the red half of Liverpool on Thursday night, the Reds could easily win by two or three goals against the shaky Besiktas defense in the return leg.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
All statistics obtained from WhoScored.com.
