Mario Balotelli pleads for end to 'drama' after Steven Gerrard's astonishing penalty attack
Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli has done well until now to avoid major controversy in his short spell at Anfield, but even he cannot have imagined a match-winning penalty would create such a fuss.
20 February 2015, 11:17am
Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
2 min read
Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge (left) argues with Mario Balotelli after he was given the match ball by captain Jordan Henderson (right) to take the penalty which he scores
The Italy international confidently stroked home from the spot after the impressive 19-year-old Jordon Ibe, on his European debut, was fouled in the 85th minute of a 1-0 Europa League win over Besiktas at Anfield.
The watching Steven Gerrard, a pundit for ITV, called it "mischievous" and "disrespectful", seemingly throwing his team-mate under the bus having won a tight game for Liverpool.
"Basically Henderson should have took that penalty," Gerrard told ITV. "I think Mario has been a bit mischievous by stepping in front of him and going against what the manager's planned before the game.
"Credit to him, he's scored, but it would be very interesting in that dressing room if he'd have missed that penalty. I think we'd have had a similar situation to what happened at Everton a couple of weeks ago (when Kevin Mirallas stepped ahead of regular taker Leighton Baines and missed).
"It's not nice to see when players are taking it off each other and stuff, for me, rules are rules and codes are codes inside a dressing room and when a manager selects a penalty taker that player should take it.
"Jordan is the captain and Mario showed Jordan a bit of disrespect there, but he's scored a very important goal. I think six or seven players would have wanted to take that penalty so if they all say they are taking it, what happens then? Rules are in place for a reason."
Manager Brendan Rodgers tried to brush off the row, joking Gerrard should have taken it, but he did not wish to take it any further. When asked to clarify who should have taken the penalty he said: "I am clarifying we won the game 1-0. I have a number of outstanding penalty takers with Jordan and Mario and Rickie Lambert. We won the game."
Balotelli, a £16million summer signing from AC Milan who still has much to prove, played down the controversy writing on Instagram: "Thank you Hendo for let me take the penalty. Stop drama now. We won that's what it counts. We are a team and especially we are Liverpool. Come on guys."
