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Mario Balotelli has thanked Liverpool fans for holding him back during a clash with Manchester United's Chris Smalling on Sunday, writing on Facebook: "I wasn't alone on the pitch".
The Italian striker was on a yellow card at the time of the incident in the 79th minute, and was restrained by supporters at Anfield before he could react with Smalling, who had forced him into the advertising boards.
United would end the game 2-1 winners after a double from Juan Mata. Liverpool went down to 10 men only 38 seconds into the second half, when captain Steven Gerrard, who had just come on as a substitute, was sent off in extraordinary fashion for a stamp on Ander Herrera.
Balotelli showed his appreciation to the fans by posting the picture on his official Facebook page today, with the caption: "Besides all efforts the game didn’t go our way. But one thing was real clear: I wasn’t alone on the pitch. YNWA."
The 24-year-old had only come on after 66 minutes in the game, replacing Alberto Moreno.
Show all 25 1 /25Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings Simon Mignolet A torrid afternoon for the Belgian keeper as his defence provided him with little cover. Made a good save to deny Rooney from the penalty spot. 6
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Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings Emre Can Arguably Liverpool’s most reliable defender this season and he produced another strong performance, though Di Maria gave him a difficult time when he came on. Conceded a penalty when he committed a daft foul on Blind. 6
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Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings Martin Skrtel Another dicey performance from the centre-half. Struggled to cope with Fellaini as he drove forward. 6
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Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings Mamadou Sakho Left exposed a lot of the time by Moreno and Mata almost constantly took advantage. 6
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Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings Raheem Sterling Played a little out of position on the right of midfield and was therefore not able to make a major impact. 6
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Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings Jordan Henderson One of Liverpool’s most influential players on a difficult afternoon. His vision unlocked United’s defence more than twice but his teammates failed to finish off what he started. 7
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Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings Joe Allen He was shown a yellow card early on in the game and that seemed to have had a negative effect on his performance. Not as boisterous in midfield as he usually can be. 6
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Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings Alberto Moreno Lost the ball on a number of occasions that left Sakho exposed. He failed on a number of times to track the runs of Mata. Replaced by Balotelli in the second half. 6
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Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings Adam Lallana Took a nasty blow to his head when he collided with Jones as they both went for the ball. Let himself down when he pushed his left-footed shot wide of de Gea’s goal after finding space. Replaced by Gerrard at half-time. 6
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Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings Daniel Sturridge Undeterred by the scoreline, the England striker never gave up and his endeavour was rewarded when he skipped past Jones before slamming his right-footed shot beyond de Gea. 7
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Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings Philippe Coutinho Very important again for Brendan Rodgers. He was relentless when going forward with the ball. Linked up midfield and attack expertly. 7
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Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings Off the Bench: Steven Gerrard Replaced Lallana at half-time. Sent off within 38 seconds of coming on after he stamped on Herrera. 0
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Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings Off the Bench: Mario Balotelli Stroppy when he came on - not exactly the calming influence Liverpool needed and that was proved as much when he received a booking seconds after coming on for Moreno. 6
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Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings David de Gea A particularly assured display from the United goalkeeper. He probably should have done better when he was beaten one-on-one by Sturridge. 6
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Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings Chris Smalling Made sure Balotelli wasn’t able to get ahead of him at set pieces and generally cleared his lines well. He has much more authority now than he did earlier in the season. 7
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Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings Antonio Valencia A very strong game from the winger come wing-back come full-back. He was excellent in supplying Mata on the right side. 6
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Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings Phil Jones Slightly erratic in a lot of what he does. He was booked when he went in hard on Henderson. Organised his defence well, though. 6
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Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings Daley Blind Found himself away from the action quite a lot during the match but he was effective in running the line behind Di Maria. 6
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Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings Michael Carrick Sat just in front of the United back four it was his job to stop Liverpool’s midfield advancing too far forward. He did that well but was bypassed by Henderson on a number of occasions. 6
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Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings Juan Mata Calmly finished past Mignolet after he made a brilliantly-timed run to meet Herrera’s pass. He looked a threat when he decided to break forward. Sealed all three points when he pulled off a spectacular bicycle kick to beat the Belgian keeper at his far post. 8
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Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings Ander Herrera Provided an excellent through ball for Mata to take advantage of and open the scoring on 14 minutes. He dominated the midfield. 7
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Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings Marouane Fellaini His presence very welcome again in the United midfield. He drove forward with intent and rarely lost a battle in the air. 7
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Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings Ashley Young Replaced by Di Maria in the second half after he suffered a knock. He was bright in the first half. 6
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Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings Wayne Rooney He didn’t get as far forward as he usually prefers but he was instrumental in offering Di Maria another option when the winger chose to penetrate the left-side of the Liverpool defence. Held onto the ball well in the last few minutes of the match. Should have done better with his penalty. 6
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Liverpool 1 Manchester United 2 player ratings Off the Bench: Angel Di Maria Replaced Young in the second half and immediately made an impact. His lovely dink teed up Mata for the Spaniard’s second goal. 7
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But the drama did not end there for Balotelli. Following the match he appeared to make an offensive gesture at United supporters, who had goaded him as he left the stadium after the match (see video below ).
Video courtesy of telandbenjie
The Italian striker was hit with chants of "City reject" and "What a waste of money" as he left Anfield following the loss, passing the away United fans, who had to stay at the ground after the final whistle to ease the crowd congestion.
He then filmed the fans on his iPhone before appearing to make the gesture in their direction.
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