Liverpool’s Man of the Match from 3-3 Draw at Villa Park | OneFootball

Aston Villa 3-3 Liverpool – Man of the Match

Harvey Elliott – Liverpool FC

This game was not littered with Liverpool players even close to their best form, with only a handful of visiting Reds enjoying solid performances. Alisson Becker was at times brilliant (a couple of times not), Jarell Quansah was combative (without enough protection), and Wataru Endō tried his best to halt the continuous counter-attacks. However, the overall involvement of Harvey Elliott was what set him slightly apart from the others. How the young England under-21-star transitions under the incoming new head coach, Arne Slot, is yet to be determined, though given his recent run of perfect form and vitality he has shown all season, he is undoubtedly someone who will remain a vital part of next season’s altered squad. Players are playing for places and reputations, and previous relationships may not mean much to the new Dutchman, which makes this a very curious period for the Anfield giants.

With a fast start and an opening goal coming in just two minutes, the former Fulham prodigy’s positive nature enabled the hosts’ slow start to be thoroughly punished. When the bustling attacking midfielder received the ball, he was on the move and determined to make something happen.

Even though his cross was perhaps tame and would not have created a clear opportunity for one of his teammates, it created enough confusion and a deflection, which the usually superb Emi Martinez badly mishandled. Amidst a lack of fluency in much of the last month, last weekend’s 4-2 demolition of Tottenham was a testament to what this team can often be.

However, this very night at Villa Park was once again far too sporadic, and patterns of attacking and defensive play were sometimes too uncoordinated, or the efforts were lethargic. That last notion is not something you could ever pin to the coattails of the 21-year-old man of the match, who is as enthusiastic about football as he would have been as a child. The more experienced and renowned assets within this multi-million-pound squad should look at the endeavour of this slightly built entertainer, who continues to stay involved because his effort levels never drop, and chance creations usually come his way.

Tonight, in the Midlands and on this final Monday night affair of the 2023/24 Premier League season, Aston Villa were the better team. They probably deserved more than the point they rightfully snatched in the final stages. Regarding the visiting Reds, Harvey Elliott created the opening goal and produced a terrific assist for Jarell Quansah’s looping header. This Liverpool moment is not perfect as the cycle draws to a close, but tonight a young man delivered what was asked, when so many of his teammates did not.

Steven Smith’s Pre-match Prediction: Aston Villa 1 – 2 Liverpool