Mario Balotelli's evening was very nearly dominated by another negative incident after it was reported that he was sent from the field during the warm-up for tonight's Capital One Cup game against Swansea at Anfield. However, there's nothing like scoring a vital goal to put a bit of negativity behind you.
Named among the substitutes for the encounter, Balotelli came off the bench and netted an 86th-minute equaliser, before Dejan Lovren sealed a 2-1 victory for Brendan Rodgers' side with his 90-minute winner. Marvin Emnes had initially put the Swans 0-1 up after 66 minutes.
Before kickoff, however, it was reported that the Italian had engaged in disruptive behaviour and was banished to the dressing room by first team coach Mike Marsh.
According to Graham Beecroft of TalkSport, Balotelli was ordered from the field after an altercation with Alberto Moreno (though Beecroft refers to him as 'Montero') during a game of keep-ball involving the Reds' substitutes.
Beecroft said Balotelli kicked the ball towards the face of one of his teammates and "continued to mess around" until he was sent away by Marsh. Liverpool have apparently played down the incident.
The incident comes on the same day that police said that they would not be taking any further action after an alleged altercation between the 24-year-old and a fan who was taking pictures of the player's Ferrari.
[via TalkSport]
