Harvey Elliott just passed two big Liverpool tests as…

Harvey Elliott just passed two big Liverpool tests as next step emerges

Arguably the most striking aspect of Liverpool’s recent victory over Manchester City was that they had so many legitimate candidates to be their man of the match. A lack of consistently high performances across the team has sadly been a recurring issue in the early weeks of 2022/23.

But not on Sunday. Joe Gomez got the player of the match award from the club, he and two others received a 9 in the Echo’s post-match ratings, while WhoScored’s algorithm deemed Alisson Becker to be the games star man.

Worthy candidates, all. Someone who put in a sterling effort without perhaps reaching the upper heights of some his teammates was Harvey Elliott. In his 73 minutes on the pitch, the young midfielder delivered a handful of incisive moments while also answering a few doubts about his defensive capabilities.

The number which leaps highest off the page of statistics from the match is the tally of open play passes which the 19-year-old completed into the penalty area: five. This was more than any other player from either side managed, and remarkably it was one more than the rest of the Liverpool team mustered between them.

The second of these was the most important, as it created the Reds’ only clear-cut chance of the first half. Following a corner, Elliott played the ball to Diogo Jota, but the Portuguese forward’s header was directed straight at Ederson.

Delivering the ball into the box has been a consistent strength for the former Fulham youngster, and he was Liverpool’s top player for this stat at Ibrox last week too. Ahead of the midweek fixtures in the Premier League, Elliott is ranked joint-eighth for passes into the penalty area. On a per 90 minutes played basis, only three players with at least as much pitch time are ahead of him (one of whom, for the record, is Trent Alexander-Arnold ).

Liverpool’s first big chance following the interval also featured Elliott in the build-up. His pass to Roberto Firmino was played on to Mohamed Salah, putting him clean through. Ederson was equal to his shot, but it was a situation which would be repeated with the opposite outcome later in the half.

Important build up passes such as this one explain why Elliott is eighth in the top flight for shot creating actions per 90 ( per FBRef ). Although he has only created nine opportunities, he has played the ball to eventual chance creators 11 times as well. He’s delivering the pass before the pass better than most.

Elliott was also Liverpool’s top player for progressive passes against City, though as these include passes into the box that’s no surprise. Nonetheless, it’s another metric where he does very well by Premier League standards – he’s currently ranked 20 ^th overall, fifth on a pro-rata basis.

That he fares so well in these areas will be no surprise to Liverpool supporters. For many, one of the issues this season has not been his suitability for the Reds’ midfield going forward, but how he effects the balance from a defensive standpoint.

Liverpool’s number 19 looked far better in this regard on Sunday, albeit it was a match in which the defensive task was somewhat more straightforward than games where Liverpool are constantly attacking and then hit through swift transitions. And he wasn’t perfect by any means, being dribbled past (twice by Phil Foden and once by Ilkay Gundogan) on all three of his attempted tackles.

But he put in a heavy workload shift in one of the hardest matches it’s possible to play. Only five times have Liverpool had a lower share of possession in the league under Jurgen Klopp. Elliott largely passed the test at both ends of the pitch, and having recently added the first Champions League goal of his career, everything seems to be coming together nicely for the young man to take the next step.

READ NEXT

Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.

Already a member? Sign in here