Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has hailed Harvey Elliott for his performance against Newcastle United, naming the youngster his Man of the Match.
The Reds welcomed Newcastle to Anfield for their Premier League matchday six clash on Wednesday night (August 31).
The visitors drew first blood through new signing Alexander Isak in the 38th minute, and the hosts couldn’t find it in themselves to come up with an immediate reply.
Liverpool ultimately equalized through Roberto Firmino in the 61st minute before Fabio Carvalho won them the match with a thunderous strike deep in added time (2-1 win).
Elliott, who pulled the strings from the middle of the park, pre-assisted Firmino’s goal (via crossfield pass to Mohamed Salah) and made sure the Newcastle midfielders had no free meals. Klopp was thoroughly impressed with the shift he put in and hailed him as the game’s standout performer. Speaking at a press conference, the Liverpool boss said (via TheBootRoom):
“Harvey [Elliott] was the best player on the pitch and Fabio [Carvalho] decides the game. That says a lot about the talent of the boys.”
Elliott, who previously played for Liverpool’s U21 side, has been with the senior team since July 2021. The midfielder has thus far played 26 games for them across competitions, recording two goals and two assists.
Jurgen Klopp believes Liverpool starlet Harvey Eliott is more influential than last year
Harvey Elliott impressed Klopp with his work on the ball against Eddie Howe’s side. After the match, the German opened up about the teenager’s progress, claiming that he was already more impactful than last year.
Speaking on Elliott, he said:
“Just a year older and more training sessions in his legs, more games played. He started an exceptional season last year, he did, he played a similar level. He did really well.
“There’s nothing particular we work on with Harvey that we say you need to improve this or that, it’s just for all the boys actually, creating sessions where the boys get forced to make the next step.”
Klopp added:
“He did really well. There’s nothing particular we work on with Harvey that we say you need to improve this or that, it’s just for all the boys actually, creating sessions where the boys get forced to make the next step.
“That’s it. Where you deal better with smaller spaces, higher tempo, all these kind of things – especially for a midfielder who is constantly under pressure. You have to do that but you need a proper skillset for that, to improve – and that’s obvious that he has that.”