Harvey Elliott’s four-minute cameo proved to make all of the distinction final week when Liverpool accomplished a surprising smash and seize raid of their Champions League last-16 first leg conflict in opposition to Paris Saint-Germain.
The 21-year-old changed Mohamed Salah for the ultimate levels of a conflict which the hosts had dominated within the Parcs des Princes and netted along with his first contact of the ball to present Arne Slot’s facet a slender first-leg benefit forward of Tuesday night time’s return leg at Anfield.
The aim, which got here through a lightning pace breakaway after he was picked out by Darwin Nunez got here throughout a recreation which noticed PSG pepper 27 pictures on the Liverpool aim with goalkeeper Alisson making 9 saves.
Liverpool star Harvey Elliott opens up on his Paris Saint-Germain winner
Elliott’s outstanding winner was his fourth aim of the season and third within the Champions League this time period, and means Liverpool will begin the second leg as favourites to progress to the quarter-finals, the place both Aston Villa or Membership Brugge await the winners.
And in response to Elliott, Liverpool have video video games to thank for the strike, as the previous Fulham man’s time spent taking part in FIFA (latterly EA Sports activities FC) helped tee him up when he entered the motion rather than Salah.
“Clearly watching Nuno Mendes in opposition to Mo, he had a extremely, actually good recreation and watching him from earlier than and taking part in along with his card on FIFA you understand his tempo is ridiculous,” Elliott admitted to Ben Foster for Amazon Prime Video.
“So, I believed, I’m not going to outdo him for tempo right here so I used to be simply seeing how the second would go. He went like this [turned] and noticed me, after which he turned his again so he was dealing with straight ahead.
“And I believed, proper if there’s ever a time I would like to make use of no matter pace I’ve in me, it’s now!”
Elliott – who was voted at No.9 in FourFourTwo’s most enjoyable youngsters on the earth in 2023 – once more made an impression after coming off the bench on Saturday, when he was launched by Slot at half-time with Liverpool trailing 1-0 to bottom-dwellers Southampton. The England U21 worldwide gave the Reds some a lot wanted urgency and helped seal a 3-1 win.
The midfielder – at the moment valued at €35milion by Transfermarkt – might be hoping that these cameos might be sufficient to persuade Slot that he deserves a spot within the beginning XI in opposition to the French champions, after the Dutchman admitted he might have gotten his choice unsuitable in opposition to Southampton.
“He received 45 minutes in the present day as a result of he did so effectively in Paris,” Slot stated post-match. “However there’s additionally a motive why I performed so many instances the opposite ones and on a regular basis they deserved that belief.
“However in the present day, if I might do it yet one more time over, I’d have began it otherwise than I began in the present day… however you do not know this upfront.”
Harvey Elliott sat down with Ben Foster for Amazon Prime Video with the full video out there right here.
