Elliott missed Chelsea chance, but Liverpool should keep him

Harvey Elliott was one of a number of fringe players who struggled at Stamford Bridge, but letting him go in a summer of upheaval makes little sense.

Photo: IMAGO | Anfield Index

If Sunday’s trip to Chelsea was Harvey Elliott’s chance to prove he had deserved greater involvement this season, then it would be fair to say he missed it.

With 34 fixtures having already been played, the 22-year-old was finally handed his first Premier League start of the campaign at Stamford Bridge.

He was doubtless one of the players Arne Slot was referring to when, in his pre-match press conference, he said of planned changes to his XI: "I think some of the players deserved to play earlier.”

Unfortunately, Elliott failed to prove as much in the capital, putting in an unusually poor performance as the Reds went down to a 3-1 defeat.

Clearly, he is never going to be a defensive monster in the centre of the park, and so shortcomings in that aspect (one of two duels won, zero tackles made) should not come as a surprise.

But it is on the ball where Elliott was most disappointing, failing to bring his usual spark to the Liverpool attack by picking up space in the pockets.

This chart of the expected threat generated by Liverpool players across the 90 minutes shows as much, as does the fact he failed to create a single shooting opportunity.