Liverpool 2-1 Ludogorets: Liverpool's penalty hero Steven Gerrard hails Mario Balotelli after ''vital'' Champions League win

Liverpool, England: Steven 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.”

Rodgers was a relieved man at the end as his side marked their return to Champions League action after a five year absence with the most heart-stopping of victories as Ludogorets looked like they would grab a point with a 90th minute leveller.

And he insisted it is hard to understate just how important the winner was, coming as it did in the fourth minute of stoppage time, to give the Reds momentum and confidence.