Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard hailed the shift Mario Balotelli turned in for victory over Champions League opponents Ludogorets.
Gerrard was the hero again for Liverpool last night as he hailed Mario Balotelli as the player who can take the club to the next level.
The Reds captain kept his nerve to convert a last-gasp penalty but said it was Balotelli who deserved the plaudits and insisted Liverpool have signed a rare talent.
"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," Gerrard mused.
"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."
