Balotelli 'disrespectful' to grab penalty, says Gerrard
Liverpool win, but Balotelli steals headlines yet again after taking the ball from Jordan Henderson

Liverpool 1 Besiktas 0. Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard accused Mario Balotelli of "disrespect" after the Italian striker insisted on taking the crucial penalty that won the Reds the game against Besiktas.
The Turkish outfit had put up stiff resistance in the first leg of their Europa League last-32 clash at Anfield but all their hard work was undone when Ramon Motta fouled Jordon Ibe inside the area. Referee Szymon Marciniak awarded a penalty to the Reds and Jordan Henderson – deputising as captain for the injured Gerrard – stepped up to take the spot kick.
But Balotelli had other ideas. The man known as 'bonkers' during his days with Manchester City took the ball from Henderson and, according to the BBC, "appeared to get in a disagreement with both the Liverpool midfielder and striker Daniel Sturridge". Henderson looked towards the bench as if for guidance but none was forthcoming and so Balotelli got his way and, as it turned out, got the goal that won Liverpool the tie.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But Gerrard wasn't impressed with the Italian's antics. Looking on from the ITV studio where he was a guest pundit, the injured player said: "Henderson is the captain and Balotelli showed Jordan a bit of disrespect there."
Describing Balotelli as "a bit mischievous", Gerrard added: "Credit to Mario, he's scored, but it's not nice to see when footballers are arguing. I think Jordan has handled the situation very well."
Once Balotelli had scored the penalty – his 27th successful spot kick in 29 attempts – he celebrated with his team-mates although Henderson "initially acknowledged the goal by tapping the striker on shoulder". Balotelli wasn't having that, however and grabbed his stand-in skipper for a warm embrace.
Henderson admitted subsequently that he had wanted to take the penalty but "Mario felt confident and he has taken big penalties before".
Balotelli later posted a message on Instagram in which he said: "Thank you hendo for let me take the penalty… Stop drama now. We won that's what it count. We are a team and especially we are Liverpool. Come on guys."
Manager Brendan Rodgers was also keen to avoid sensationalising the incident when asked to clarify who should have taken the penalty: "I am clarifying we won the game 1-0," he retorted. "It was the perfect result and sets up for the second leg next week."
In the night's other Europa League clashes involving British sides, Romelu Lukaku cracked a hat-trick for Everton as they thrashed Young Boys 4-1 in Switzerland, Tottenham were held 1-1 at home by Fiorentina, while in Glasgow Celtic recovered from conceding two early goals against Inter Milan, to draw 3-3 thanks to John Guidetti's stunning goal in stoppage time.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'Beyond this damage lies something more insidious'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Hollywood confounded by Trump's film tariff idea
speed read President Trump proposed a '100% tariff' on movies 'produced in foreign lands'
-
Israel approves plan to take over Gaza indefinitely
speed read Benjamin Netanyahu says the country is 'on the eve of a forceful entry'
-
Liverpool's Anfield redemption: how did they do it?
Talking Point Arne Slot's blueprint and standout player performances guide the Reds to record 20th league title
-
Liverpool 7 Man Utd 0: ‘welcome to Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool 2.0’
feature Anfield’s ‘new front three’ were on fire in the humbling of their bitter rivals
-
Has Liverpool been weakened by Jürgen Klopp’s ‘seven-year itch’?
feature After seven years at Anfield, critics are wondering whether his magic is wearing off
-
Who is Darwin Nunez? The ‘modern striker’ signing for Liverpool
In the Spotlight Portuguese club Benfica confirm a deal for the Uruguay international worth up to €100m
-
Uefa Champions League final: blame game begins for chaos in Paris
feature Liverpool call for an investigation as Uefa are accused of a ‘narrative of lies’
-
2022 Uefa Champions League final: Liverpool vs. Real Madrid preview, predictions and TV
feature Everything you need to know ahead of Saturday’s showpiece in Paris
-
2022 FA Cup final: Chelsea vs. Liverpool preview, predictions, kick-off time and TV coverage
feature Premier League rivals go head-to-head in another Wembley final
-
The ‘quadruple’: can Liverpool achieve footballing immortality?
feature With silverware in their sights, Jurgen Klopp’s team are peaking at the right time