Harvey Elliott showed his maturity in taking post-match media duties following Liverpool’s 1-0 loss to Plymouth, admitting that “we weren’t good enough.”
Elliott was among the Reds’ worst performers in a humbling by Championship opposition, even aside from his handball that gave away the winning penalty.
Though still only 21 he was one of the most experienced players in Arne Slot‘s rotated lineup, but was part of a weak midfield that provided little support to the forward line.
He made only one chance and completed just 71 percent of his attempted passes, with a tally of 0.04 expected assists highlighting how little he offered creatively – though Elliott was not alone.
It spoke to his sense of responsibility that he fronted obligations with LFCTV in post-match, in an interview that saw him accept Liverpool’s faults.
“It wasn’t our best game at all, we all knew that on the pitch,” he explained.
“But I think one thing about the team today, we fought to the end, we kept trying, we kept pushing.
“But sometimes this is what happens in football – today we weren’t good enough.
“I’d say it was harsh to lose the way we did but games like this, where we don’t play as well as we should do, can go either way and today it didn’t go our way.”
Elliott shared the pitch with the likes of Trey Nyoni, James McConnell and, later off the bench, both Isaac Mabaya and Trent Kone-Doherty.
As academy players there is less blame laid at their feet, with the likes of Elliott, Diogo Jota, Federico Chiesa and Luis Diaz more widely criticised.
Addressing the performances of his young teammates Elliott described it as a “learning curve,” though he added that it was one for himself too.
“We just lacked that composure at the end,” he said.
“But at the same time their ‘keeper made some unbelievable saves, one from Jota in particular, and credit where credit is due.
“They were great today and made it really, really hard for us and we couldn’t cope with that.
“But as I said, it’s a learning curve. It’s a different game for us because we’re not used to playing these kind of games.
“And there are things we can learn and for myself and the younger lads, we can keep taking it in our career.”
While this latest misstep could amplify concerns over Elliott’s long-term role under Slot – and it is certainly likely that there will be fewer opportunities now Liverpool are out of the FA Cup – he cannot simply be ruled out.
His talent as a player is undoubted but he complements this with a maturity that belies his age, and there will be an acceptance that this is just another challenge for him to take on.
Plymouth 1-0 Liverpool
