Mario Balotelli scored just his second goal for Liverpool in 12 appearances as they came from behind to beat Premier League rivals Swansea City 2-1 and advance into the last eight of the League Cup at Anfield on Tuesday.
Balotelli has struggled since his £16 million (US$26 million) pre-season move from AC Milan and on Tuesday, he was on the bench until 11 minutes from time.
When the Italian striker was sent on by Reds boss Brendan Rodgers — a former Swansea manager — Liverpool were trailing 1-0 to Marvin Emnes’ 65th-minute goal.
Photo: AFP
However, four minutes from time, Balotelli evaded the visitors’ defense to equalize for the hosts. Then, with extra-time looming, Swansea’s Federico Fernandez was controversially sent off for a challenge on Philippe Coutinho.
In the fifth minute of stoppage-time, Liverpool’s Dejan Lovren got on the end of a Coutinho free-kick that Swansea goalkeeper Gerhard Tremmel came for and missed to head home the winner — his first goal for Liverpool.
After the game, Balotelli posted a one-word tweet saying “finally” to express his relief at scoring.
Photo: AFP
Meanwhile, Swansea manager Garry Monk said he hoped referee Keith Stroud would overturn Fernandez’s red card.
“How he saw that as a red card ... but Keith is a good referee, hopefully he will see sense and rescind it for us,” Monk said.
Elsewhere in Cup action, Premier League leaders Chelsea survived a scare before seeing off fourth-tier Shrewsbury Town 2-1.
Jermaine Grandison broke hosts Shrewsbury’s hearts with nine minutes left when he turned in Willian’s cross for an own-goal.
Before that goal, Shrewsbury manages to keep the game scoreless for more than half the match, until Didier Drogba finished from close range in the 48th minute for his third goal in as many matches in three different competitions.
Shrewsbury substitute Andy Mangan equalized just 84 seconds after coming on in the 75th minute, before Grandison’s unlucky intervention decided the match.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was adamant that he always expected a tough match.
“I didn’t change my feelings [that] the game was going to be difficult,” the Portuguese said. “It was difficult from minute one to the last minute.”
Proud Shrews boss Micky Mellon added: “I just said to the players if someone would have said that we would have felt gutted and disappointed at the end of a game against Chelsea, we probably would have taken that emotion because it meant we would have been pleased, but we’re gutted because we lost it on little bits of detail.”
Elsewhere on the day, Chelsea’s top-flight rivals West Bromwich Albion were knocked out by Championship side Bournemouth, losing 2-1 as the Cherries — fresh from their 8-0 thrashing of Birmingham City — reached the League Cup quarter-finals for the first time in the south coast side’s history.
Eunan O’Kane gave hosts Bournemouth a 49th-minute lead and, after Georgios Samaras’s shot deflected in off Tommy Elphick in the 85th-minute, the Cherries scored the winner barely 60 seconds later through substitute Callum Wilson.
The all-Championship game saw second-tier leaders Derby County come from two goals behind to beat Fulham 5-2 at Craven Cottage.
In a third-tier clash, Sheffield United needed two goals in the final four minutes from Michael Higdon to beat Milton Keynes Dons 2-1.
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