Liverpool fired their way up to second in the Premier League table on Sunday afternoon with a 3-1 win over Marco Silva’s Fulham at Craven Cottage.
The Reds made hard work of the match as they were held at 1-1 going into the break, after Timothy Castagne’s strike cancelled out an opener from Trent Alexander-Arnold.
However, second-half strikes from Ryan Gravenberch and Diogo Jota ensured that all three points returned to Merseyside, and Jurgen Klopp’s men are now level on points with Arsenal, who have a better goal difference, at the top of the division.
With five matches left to play for the Reds before the end of the season, the German head coach still has a chance to end his tenure at Anfield with a second Premier League trophy.
However, with Arsenal and Manchester City providing fierce competition, it will take a monumental effort to get over the line over the coming weeks.
Klopp may, though, have unearthed a new secret weapon in the race for the title by handing Harvey Elliott, who is not a regular starter, an opportunity to impress against Fulham.
Harvey Elliott’s performance against Fulham in numbers
The England U21 international was handed just his seventh start of the Premier League campaign and caught the eye with an impressive display in the middle of the park.
Handed a match rating of 7/10 by the Liverpool Echo’s Ian Doyle for his ‘creativity’ and ‘energy’, Elliott grasped his chance by buzzing around the pitch in and out of possession to make an impact for the Reds.
His most telling contribution was, of course, the assist for the second goal of the game for the Reds. He athletically intercepted a stray pass from Fulham and looked forward to find Gravenberch between the lines, which allowed the former Bayern Munich man to turn and fire the ball into the back of the net.
It was a crucial moment for Liverpool in the match as it came at a time when both sides were pressing to put themselves ahead, with the score at 1-1, and Elliott’s defensive and offensive work combined into one to create the chance for his teammate.
In 90 minutes on the pitch, the former Fulham prodigy completed 100% (1/1) of his attempted dribbles and 83% (50/60) of his attempted passes, which speaks to his effectiveness and efficiency on the ball.
The left-footed maestro, who only lost possession 11 times in total, also showcased a physical side to his game with four of eight duels won, and this shows that – despite standing at just 5 foot 7 – he was not a liability for Klopp’s men off the ball, even up against the physically imposing Sasa Lukic and Joao Palhinha.
It was a terrific well-rounded performance from Elliott in midfield and he could now be a new secret weapon for Liverpool, given his lack of starts up to this point and his potential to offer even more.
Harvey Elliott’s untapped potential
The 21-year-old magician has only started seven of his 29 appearances in the Premier League so far this season, which shows that he has been brought on as a substitute more often than not.
You only have to look at his performances in the Europa League and in an England shirt at U21 level to see the kind of impact he can have when starting matches on a regular basis.
As you can see in the table above, Elliott has recorded an assist every other start on average in Europe this term. This speaks to his outstanding creativity, which has also been on display for his country this term.
In his last six appearances for England’s U21s this season, the impressive maestro has amassed seven goals, three assists, 26 key passes, and six ‘big chances’ created.
Whereas, the talented magician has only chipped in with two goals and three assists, the third of which came against Fulham, in 29 Premier League games.
These statistics, and his fantastic display from the start against the Cottagers, suggest that Elliott could offer a lot more to Liverpool in the top-flight than he has so far this season if Klopp makes him a regular starter between now and the end of the season.
This is why the young star could be a surprise new weapon in the title race for the Reds, as his sublime creative quality and knack for chipping in with a goal for England could end up being a difference-maker during the run-in if the manager places his trust in the youngster.
He could come in to provide more at the top end of the pitch than Dominik Szoboszlai, who has been a regular starter, has of late for Liverpool.
Dominik Szoboszlai’s attacking contributions
The Hungary international, signed from German side RB Leipzig on a permanent deal last summer, has started 24 of his 28 Premier League appearances for the club so far this season.
He has racked up three goals, two assists, and six ‘big chances’ created in those 28 games, which shows that the attacking midfielder has rarely made a difference in the final third.
Elliott has contributed with more assists in eight Europa League starts (four) and seven Premier League starts (three) than Szoboszlai has (two) in 24 top-flight starts.
As you can see , Szoboszlai’s attacking and defensive work has not been vastly superior to the youngster’s when you compare the minutes they have played.
In almost half as many minutes played, Elliott has provided more assists and won a higher percentage of his defensive duels in the Premier League, which suggests that the young gem could do far more with the playing time that the ex-Bundesliga star has had.
Therefore, the English whiz should be provided with more opportunities to start, following his performance against Fulham, over the Hungarian gem over the last five games in the race to win the league title for the Reds.