Harvey Elliott scored twice and the Liverpool midfielder was unstoppable during his time in England.
Harvey Elliott was a pantomime villain when he played for England Under-21s against Northern Ireland at Goodison Park on Tuesday night.
It was a surreal experience for the Liverpool midfielder to return to Liverpool’s local rivals as a home player.
But at least the Everton fans gave him the familiar welcome they would expect from a player crossing Stanley Park.The Lions’ 20-year-old’s name was heard when he was ruled out before kick-off at Goodison.
Clubmates Jarell Quansah and Tyler Morton, who scored on their under-21 debuts, did not receive similar treatment as star players at Anfield.A sign of things to come, he ended the night with a comfortable 3-0 win.
What Darwin Nunes did in 18 incredible minutes is Liverpool’s blueprint for Manchester CityIn the 52nd minute, Elliott doubled England’s lead by curling in a 25-yard ball.
And in a telling moment, he crossed the line and scored a beautiful chip from Morton’s superb ball with 10 minutes remaining. The childhood Liverpool fan, who has been part of Jurgen Klopp’s side for four years, was not expecting such treatment.
He even waved to the crowd after doubling his tally but was unable to complete his hat-trick as his late volley was blocked by goalkeeper Josh Clark, who demands the attention his status deserves or.
He was at his worst in the Merseyside derby against a much more hostile Goodison and will expect it to happen again as he continues to learn his trade at Anfield.
In reality, this Merseyside rivalry had a fairly modest crowd full of young fans for the Reds midfielder. In addition to the free-kick, Elliot Lee got involved with giving Carsley a free-kick.
Although he was positioned as the number 10 midfielder, he made quick runs and repeated killer passes. Meanwhile, Klopp’s trademark Liverpool press also appeared on the rare occasions when the young lions were not in possession.
He has now scored six goals and provided two assists in his last six appearances for England Under-21s. But he has to shine at this level.
After all, he is the oldest player in this young Lions squad, having made 129 career appearances, including 82 for Liverpool and 52 in the Premier League.
He was a team player when England won the European Championship in the summer and has since played an increasingly important role at that level, as well as a part in the club-level team that has won every major trophy since and -negotiated the accession.
“We might ask him to play a different role for us, maybe a bit higher,” Kalsi told reporters ahead of Monday’s meeting with Northern Ireland.
“Harvey is a player with enormous potential.”When he’s in camp we can’t guarantee him time at Liverpool but I can guarantee him time here and he can be an important part of our job.”
“All the stats and data coming back to Harvey show that he is the most creative player when it comes to creating chances and scoring goals.
It’s good for him, but he knows he has to keep doing that. That’s going to be a big part of his game.”
