Liverpool: Capital One Cup the start of a Balotelli streak

Mario Balotelli has been overly criticised for not immediately excelling in a struggling Liverpool side

Michael Lintorn has discovered that good things happen after Mario Balotelli scores in the Capital One Cup...

Mario Balotelli is back! His equaliser seven minutes after coming on in Liverpool's 2-1 Capital One Cup victory over Swansea inspired a host of "Why always him?" headline variants, which was slightly confusing given that the issue so far this season is that it most definitely hasn't always been him.

Many will discount Balotelli's contribution against Swansea, viewing it as a false dawn similar to his maiden goal in the Champions League win over Ludogorets, and prefer to focus on him notching just twice in a dozen outings, both times in home cup ties in which the Reds were odds-on favourites.

However, while his Premier League account for the Merseyside giants remains closed despite seven prior attempts to open it, there is a reason to believe that this truly is the beginning of something special.

The Capital One Cup leveller was only his third career strike in the competition and his first for Man City three years ago signalled the start of his most impressive ever run in English football.

After scoring the second in Man City's 2-0 third-round triumph over Birmingham, Balotelli went on to net in all of his next four appearances too, culminating in that brilliant brace in the 6-1 thrashing of Man United at Old Trafford that made "Why Always Me?" a thing.

In total, the tabloid obsession fired eight times in nine games in the immediate aftermath of that Capital One Cup effort and he followed his second goal in it against Aston Villa in 2012/13 with the equaliser against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League eight days later.

Balotelli's first net-rippler against domestic opposition for his previous employers AC Milan also triggered a streak of seven goals in six matches, so Liverpool fans should allow themselves some optimism that their headline summer addition has finally arrived.

If this is to prove the case then Newcastle, who have conceded two goals or more in three of their four Premier League home fixtures, are lined up to be the next victims at St James' Park on Saturday. Balotelli is 2.6213/8 to score in that encounter.