Mario Balotelli silenced his critics, at least for a few days, by scoring the goal that sparked a late come-from-behind victory for Liverpool against Swansea City in the Capital One Cup fourth round at Anfield.
Liverpool looked dead and buried after Marvin Emnes fired the away side into a 1-0 lead in the second half, volleying home from an angle into the bottom corner.
But, everything changed four minutes from time when Balotelli, brought on as a substitute, slotted home nicely to give Liverpool hope.
Fabio Borini was the creator for the equaliser, running down the right before picking out a perfect cross for Balotelli to prod home from six yards.
Liverpool who came away with a crazy last-gasp win against Queens Park Rangers recently, brought out that habit of scoring right at the death again as Dejan Lovren headed home in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
It was pathetic defending from Swansea, as Lovren was left all alone at the far post to easily guide the ball into the back of the net off a freekick from Philippe Coutinho.
Even if Lovren scored the winner which took Liverpool into the Capital One Cup quarterfinals, it was Balotelli who earned the plaudits for only his second goal in a Liverpool shirt.
"Mario is working hard in training and he got his just rewards by coming on and getting the goal," Liverpool assistant manager Colin Pascoe said.
"Of course [the goal is something for him to build on]. He works hard and I'm glad he got the goal.
"He wants to work all the time. He's still a young lad, a tremendous talent and he wants to work on his movement and finishing. After every session, he wants to do that. For him, it was great for him to get the goal."
The goal was even more dramatic as Balotelli might not have even got onto the pitch after twisting his knee during warm-up.
"He twisted his studs in the ground and he was sent in to see the physio to see if he was alright or not," added Pascoe. "He felt something in his knee, but as you saw, he came on and his knee looked alright.
"We had to assess him, but he's fine. It was just a precaution. I didn't know until I came in at the end of the game, but the way he was moving about, I don't think there was much wrong with his knee."
Balotelli and Liverpool will now look to build on the momentum from this victory when they travel to Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday.
Liverpool 2-1 Swansea All Goals & Highlights... by footy-goalscom
