Steven Gerrard kept his cool from the penalty spot in stoppage time to earn Liverpool a 2-1 victory from their opening Champions League group encounter of the season against Ludogorets.

Mario Balotelli's first goal for the Reds broke the deadlock late on, but when substitute Dani Abalo rolled in an equaliser in the 90th minute, it seemed that the spoils would be shared.

However, deep into injury time, Gerrard stepped up to score the winning goal from 12 yards out.

Below, Sports Mole has looked back over the contest to determine if the result was a fair one, or if the visiting Bulgarians can count themselves a tad unfortunate.

Match statistics

LIVERPOOL
Shots: 23
On target: 7
Possession: 64%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 22

LUDOGORETS
Shots: 11
On target: 2
Possession: 36%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 16

Was the result fair?

The statistics above will tell you that Liverpool dominated proceedings, which by and large, they did. However, arguably the better openings were created by the away team. The hosts will argue that they put away their chances and that is all that matters, which cannot be disputed. However, all things considered, had the match ended in a draw, Liverpool could have had no complaints.

Liverpool's performance

Brendan Rodgers's men performed better than on Saturday against Aston Villa, but not by much. With Daniel Sturridge injured and Luis Suarez in Barcelona, there is a real lack of pace and intensity in the the final third at present, aside from Raheem Sterling of course. Adam Lallana, Philippe Coutinho and Balotelli are good footballers without question, but they cannot penetrate the opposition in the same manner as last season's trio.

Something else that may be a cause of concern for Rodgers was the performance of his captain. Gerrard may have scored the winner from the spot, but on numerous occasions he was robbed in possession, even in his own half. There were times when he looked a yard slower than those around him, which he also did on Saturday. However, three points are essentially all that matters and that's what Liverpool have got.

Ludogorets's performance

Head coach Georgi Dermendzhiev promised that his side would be positive before the match and his players were certainly true to their manager's words. At the start of both halves it took them a little while to settle, but once they did, they carved out some good openings and were not overly stretched defensively. The manner of the defeat will hurt, but there are plenty of positives to be taken for the upcoming fixtures.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Marcelinho: The 30-year-old has spent the majority of his career playing in his native Brazil and the Middle East, but on Europe's biggest stage, he shone this evening. He was always positive with the ball at his feet and on a couple of occasions he split the Liverpool defence with clever passes.

Biggest gaffe

It's a fairly safe bet that Ludogorets goalkeeper Milan Borjan will not be getting much sleep this evening. The Canadian, who only joined the club last Friday, barely put a foot wrong all night, that was until the last minute of stoppage time. He seemingly had a rush of blood to the head as he inexplicably tripped up Javier Manquillo inside the penalty area, which would end up costing his side the game.

Referee performance

Matej Jug quite rightly awarded a penalty to Liverpool in the closing stages, but Ludogorets will feel that they should have been given one in the first half as Marcelinho hit the ground under pressure from Dejan Lovren. In the Champions League, they have certainly been given. Aside from that, three out of the four visiting defenders were booked, but all of the offences warranted that punishment.

What next?

Liverpool: The Premier League fixtures computer has thrown up a trip to West Ham United on Saturday, while in this competition, Basel are the next opponents in Switzerland for Rodgers's men.

Ludogorets: The Eagles return to domestic action on Sunday with the visit of Lovech, but in terms of the Champions League, 10-time winners and holders Real Madrid will travel to Bulgaria next in early October.