Liverpool hope Mario Balotelli's belated first league goal will be a springboard that will spur him on to greater success.
The Italian, who cost 16 million when he joined from AC Milan, came off the bench to score the winner against Tottenham, ending a five-and-a-half month, 13-game wait to open his account for his new club in the top flight.
The goal clinched a 3-2 win over Tottenham that strengthens Liverpool's challenge for a Champions League place and assistant manager Colin Pascoe thinks it could allow Balotelli to kick-start his Anfield career.
"I hope it can be a springboard. Testament to himself, he kept going and deserved the goal in the end," said Pascoe.
Pascoe revealed that Balotelli, who has not started any of Liverpool's 22 games, had been struggling to take the field in training recently.
He added: "Mario always works hard in training and recently he has been ill and he has had some knocks on his foot and he couldn't get his boots on. He had gashes on his foot."
Pascoe claimed the often deadpan Balotelli was "immensely happy", insisting: "To get a winner at Anfield, I am sure he is happy."
Lazar Markovic and Steven Gerrard also scored for Liverpool but the captain came off with a hamstring problem.
"It is a precaution. He looked over [to the bench]. He could feel it a little."
Raheem Sterling missed the game and Pascoe said, "He was injured. He took a lot of knocks at Bolton. He had a great game. Again against Everton he had a couple of blows in the second half. We probably should have taken him off earlier. That is the reason."
Liverpool are now only three points adrift of the Champions League places and Pascoe sees their next game, away to Southampton, as a chance to make up ground on other rivals for a top-four finish.
"We needed to win tonight to get closer to the top. We always thought that. Our next game is Southampton and we will look at that to get three points and close the gap," said Pascoe, who did the post-match news conference as manager Brendan Rodgers had a plane to catch.
For his part, Jordan Henderson said Liverpool are more than a match for any team in the Premier League after the win vs. Tottenham.
"We've got some fantastic players here so we've just got to keep working hard on the training field and getting results like that.
"We've got a little momentum, we've been playing some great stuff and I thought we showed great character tonight."
It looked set to be a frustrating night for the Merseysiders as Spurs twice fought back from a goal down, but Balotelli's goal helped secure three points for the home side.
It was a muted celebration from the Italian, although Henderson thinks his teammate will be delighted with his contribution.
"I'm sure he'll be smiling in the dressing room," said Henderson. "When he came on, he worked hard and got the goal and the three points for the team."