Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has praised Mario Balotelli after their 2-1 UEFA Champions League win over Ludogorets on Tuesday night, Mirror reports.

Gerrard had to score a late penalty in order to secure the three points, and believes Balotelli – who bagged the game’s first goal – can aid the club to a successful season.

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"A lot of people were wondering what we were going to see from Mario in terms of off-the-ball and work-rate, what he gives us off the ball,” the Liverpool captain said.

“But we saw tonight how hard he worked. You have got to give Mario immense credit. When you try to find a breakthrough, you keep going – which is what he did. Great strikers only need one chance and he took it.”

After losing 1-0 to Aston Villa at Anfield during the weekend, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers was clearly elated as his side returned to the Champions League with a win.

"It was a vital win for us, vital. It will be really important for our season. After a great performance against Tottenham the international break has really hurt us, so we needed that,” he explained.

“I felt coming into the game that we had a wee bit of a hangover from the defeat by Villa, so the resilience and commitment the players showed tonight was really important for us.

“I do believe that in my first six months here we would have lost that game. But it shows the belief we have now in the group that we have to keep going from here. I think those three points give us momentum and belief, because this competition is about winning, and we showed we can do that.”

Liverpool’s next destination is Upton Park, where they will face West Ham United this coming weekend.

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