Liverpool looked surprisingly jaded and lacking defensive sharpness against Fulham and Virgil van Dijk’s verdict summed things up succinctly. “A lot of work still to do, as we all saw,” he wrote on social media.
There were positives, though. Conor Bradley returned from injury, Luis Diaz looked bright again, and Harvey Elliott impressed with a rare chance to get some proper minutes under his belt in the Premier League.
Elliott, in particular, will have been glad to have made an impression. Against his former side, who booed him, as ever, throughout, he took the opportunity well — and should get more chances before the campaign comes to an end.
So far this season (and therefore under Arne Slot), Elliott is yet to make a Premier League start. His only appearance in the starting XI in the Champions League was in the dead rubber against PSV on matchday eight.
In part, that was down to injury, but he returned to action in November and hasn’t been missing since. Like Federico Chiesa, he has often been overlooked despite being fit and available.
Last week, it was claimed by Football Insider that Liverpool would demand a fee of above $51 million (£40 million) for Elliott amid interest from Newcastle United. Rumors of an exit have been unrelenting all season and they are inevitable with so few chances to play games. The player’s stance, though, has already been made public.
(Image: MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“I think it’s pretty clear, to be honest,” Elliott said on Amazon Prime just after he had scored against Lille. Asked what the celebration meant, he added: “I’m not leaving. This is my team. This is my club. I’m a massive fan and we’re in a great position so far this season.”
Against Fulham this weekend, Dominik Szoboszlai was ineffective, while Elliott made an instant difference when he replaced him. He hit the bar with one excellent effort and along with Diaz, injected some much-needed life into the Liverpool attack.
Only once has Elliott played for a longer spell in the Premier League this season (against Southampton a few weeks ago). And for someone of his quality, that doesn’t seem fair.
Learn more
For the last few weeks, it would be reasonable to argue that Szoboszlai has had the number 10 position locked down. Aside from the Southampton game, when Slot admitted he shouldn’t have started him and replaced the number eight with Elliott at half-time, the Hungary captain has been in good form.
Come next weekend, though, Elliott should get another go, and this time from the off. If he doesn’t, that stance on not wanting to leave might have to change.
In his shot that hit the crossbar, which could have made it 3-3 late on, Elliott did more in one effort at goal than a tired Szoboszlai had all game. That was telling in terms of both what Elliott can offer and also what Szoboszlai lacked. With Premier League title confirmation nearing, there is no reason not to let the understudy prove his worth before a big summer.
