Harvey Elliott isn't going anywhere

The chaos magician Darwin Núñez has — deservedly — been receiving the lion's share of the headlines since the Red's late win against Brentford. But he's not the only Liverpool player with something to prove.

Despite only featuring in a 10-minute cameo and registering eight touches on Saturday, Harvey Elliott made sure to leave his mark on the victory — feeding Trent Alexander-Arnold a through ball into the box before the latter was able to pull it back for Núñez, and assisting the Uruguayan himself on the second goal to put the nail in Brentford's coffin. After a half-season that — counter to Liverpool's team success — didn't really go his way, Elliott has shown up in a big moment to remind people that he's still got what it takes to contend in a title-winning side.

Harvey Elliott still has plenty to offer Liverpool

Elliott's absence from the squad this season has, in a big way, been instigated by a three-month recovery process after sustaining a foot fracture. But even when he has been fit, he's been relegated to third choice in the midfield behind Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai. While there's certainly no shame in falling in behind two of the Premier League's most dynamic midfield talents, Elliott will naturally want to see more of the pitch.

In an interview with the Liverpool Echo, he admitted to being frustrated by his lack of playing time. What should be cause for optimism from Liverpool supporters, though, is that instead of allowing that frustration — and the associated transfer rumors that have accompanied his spell out of the squad — to negatively impact his play, Elliott turned up against Brentford ready to fight.

It's perhaps easy to forget, considering that he debuted in the Premier League at just 16 years of age, but Harvey Elliot is still a youngster. At 21, he's achieved more than most players can hope to in their career, but he's far from his potential ceiling. Having this wealth of experience, but so much room still to grow, uniquely positions Elliott to be the Liverpool legend he's quite clearly eager to be.

Best of all, he plays for a team that rewards hard graft. Curtis Jones is an excellent example of a player finding himself on the perimeter and managing to not just get back in the mix, but reach new heights. And while it seems that the fates of Jones and Elliot have been inversely related for the past few seasons, there's no reason that they can't share the pitch. The team will certainly be stronger for it.