ELLIOTT: NOT GOOD ENOUGH

Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott endured a tough performance in the team’s 1-0 defeat to Plymouth Argyle earlier today, giving away a penalty and generally not playing to his usual standard. However, he wasn’t the only player selected by Arne Slot who struggled, as several key players failed to deliver in a game where Liverpool never quite hit their stride.

Elliott, along with Italian winger Federico Chiesa, who was handed a rare start but failed to make an impact, and Portugal striker Diogo Jota, who barely saw the ball, all had disappointing outings. Luis Diaz, often a danger on the left wing, was also unable to find space, being outnumbered by Plymouth’s defense. Curtis Jones, named on the bench, was unable to provide any assistance due to injury.

After the match, Elliott acknowledged the team’s poor performance but emphasized their resilience. “It wasn’t our best game at all, we all knew that on the pitch,” Elliott said to the Reds’ official website. “But I think one thing about the team today, we fought to the end, we kept trying, we kept pushing.”

Despite the disappointing result, Elliott maintained that it was a “learning curve” for the team. He recognized that such games, where the team doesn’t perform at its best, can be unpredictable. “Sometimes this is what happens in football — today we weren’t good enough,” Elliott continued. “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, can go either way and today it didn’t go our way.”

Elliott also took responsibility for the penalty, which came about after he handled the ball inside the box. Ryan Hardie successfully converted from the spot, but the midfielder defended his actions, arguing that it wasn’t a natural position for his arm to be in when jumping. “The arguments could go on forever,” he said. “I was so close to him and I said to the referee, ‘Do you expect me to jump with my arms by my side?’ That’s just not a natural way of jumping.”

Though Elliott was frustrated with the decision, he also offered credit to Plymouth’s goalkeeper, who made some impressive saves during the match, including a key one from Jota. “Their ’keeper made some unbelievable saves, one from [Diogo] Jota in particular, and credit where credit is due,” Elliott admitted. “They were great today and made it really, really hard for us and we couldn’t cope with that.”

Despite the loss, Elliott remains optimistic, especially for himself and the younger players in the squad. “It’s a learning curve,” he said. “It’s a different game for us because we’re not used to playing these kinds of games and there are things we can learn from it. For myself and the younger lads, we can keep taking it in our career.”

Liverpool will look to bounce back after this disappointing defeat, with lessons learned from a game they’ll likely want to forget.