ARTICLES
Staking his claim for the starting role: Liverpool playmaker shines again
Harvey Elliott produces another match-winning performance from the Liverpool bench with his goal against LOSC Lille in the Champions League. The 21-year-old has struggled to receive significant game time under Arne Slot since returning from his early season injury layoff.
The Englishman enjoyed a steep developmental rise along with plenty of experience under the legendary former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. However, Slot has used Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai often in the number 10 role while Elliott in wider roles.
The 21-year-old played a pivotal role against Brentford in the Premier League victory, involving two extra-time goals from Darwin Nunez. Elliott once again played a critical role for the Reds against Lille in the Champions League clash at Anfield yesterday.
Elliott along with Alexis Mac Allister replaced Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones in halftime when Liverpool had a one-goal advantage. Lille’s Aissa Mandi suffered a red card in the 59th minute but the French club immediately scored a surprising equaliser.
Elliott scored the winning goal in the 67th minute after a corner from the left reached the 21-year-old through deflection. The Englishman applied an impressive technique to hit a low valley which deflected off a Lille player towards the goal.
Fotmob stats revealed that the 21-year-old enjoyed 86% passing accuracy with 29 touches and one pass into the final third. Elliott has provided the Reds with something vastly different than what Szoboszlai and Jones provide as the number 10 midfielders.
The 21-year-old’s left foot preference gives the team another angle to bother the opposition while his game intelligence benefits others. Elliott has delivered impressive playmaking performances against both Brentford and Lille for Liverpool, with an assist and a winning goal.
More Liverpool News
- Liverpool youngster redeems himself with a dominant display under Slot
- Resilient attack: Liverpool outperforms Arsenal and other rivals in key stat
- Liverpool boss outlines the final obstacle in front of Darwin Nunez
The 21-year-old also works hard as he completed three defensive actions, three interceptions and two recoveries defensively against Lille. With Jones struggling to make an impact in recent games, the 21-year-old could usurp his academy teammate as Szoboszlai’s competition.
