Considering his close range tap-in came seven minutes from full-time, gave Liverpool's top-four hopes a huge boost and was Balotelli's first in the Premier League for the Reds since his summer move from AC Milan, the Italian, surprisingly, barely celebrated the goal.
"When I score, I don't celebrate because I'm only doing my job," Balotelli has said previously. "When a postman delivers letters, does he celebrate?"
However, there have been other occassions when the 24-year-old's celebrations have grabbed headlines. We take a look at four of them...
Why always me? Old Trafford, October 2011
"I’ll leave it for other people to figure out what it means. I’m sure people can work it out," said Balotelli after revealing the now famous slogan after scoring in the Manchester derby. The celebration came the day after fireworks were let off in his home and summed up Balotelli's prominence in the press for what he does on and off the pitch.
Balotelli bares his chest, June 2012
During Euro 2012 the enigmatic Balotelli was at his very best and scored twice in a 2-1 win over Germany to fire Italy to the final. After blazing in the second, Balotelli removed his shirt, flung it to the floor and flexed his muscles - and picked up a booking in the process. "They didn't get angry because I was booked for taking my shirt off, but they saw my physique and got jealous," he said afterwards.
Nonchalance against Newcastle, November 2011
Balotelli is regarded as a fine penalty-taker but his cool response to slotting in the opener in a 3-1 win over Newcastle in front of over 47,000 fans at the Etihad was a remarkable show of confidence. A feint midway through his run-up deceived Tim Krul and, after seeing the ball hit the net, Balotelli strolled towards the 'keeper with his arms folded.
Bonucci silences Balotelli, June 2012
Balotelli sealed a 2-0 win over Ireland which ensured Italy qualified for the last eight at Euro 2012. However, not content with grabbing a goal, Balotelli - who had started the game on the bench - had some words for his critics. Fortunately, team-mate Leonardo Bonucci was quick to cover Balotelli's mouth before he said anything controversial. "What he said, he said in English and I didn’t understand," said the defender afterwards. "I put my hand in front of his mouth just in case, because Mario is instinctive but that is also his strength."
