Harvey Elliott does one thing better than Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold this season

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Among all the new arrivals and top stars at Liverpool, Harvey Elliott has gone a little bit under the radar this season. It’s not until his performance against Burnley last weekend that he has really gotten the recognition he deserves.

The reality is Elliott has been performing to a high standard ever since the beginning of the campaign. Yes, he hasn’t been starting as many games. But when he is on the pitch – he often makes the difference.

Burnley wasn’t the only game in which he contributed to important and decisive moment. Earlier on in the season he came on to score a last-minute winner against Crystal Palace. And he also assisted a crucial last minute equaliser by Luis Diaz against Luton Town.

He’s simply been a very key player. The kind of squad player you need in a title winning side. The kind who steps up and delivers every time he is on the pitch. And that is proven by the underlying numbers as well.

Harvey Elliott is top in key underlying metric for Liverpool

One area where Elliott has really excelled this season is in his creativity. Currently, according to FBref, he has averaged the second most expected assists (0.25 per 90) joint alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold and just behind Mohamed Salah (0.29 per 90) for Liverpool in all competitions this season.

But there is another underlying metric where Elliott is better than both Salah and Alexander-Arnold. That metric is passes into the opposition’s penalty area. According to FBref, Elliott averages 2.74 passes per 90 into the penalty area for Liverpool in all competitions this season. That’s more than second-placed Alexander-Arnold (2.66 per 90) and third placed Mohamed Salah (2.29 per 90).

Of course it comes with a caveat that Elliott’s sample size is smaller. However, it’s still an impressive return from the 20-year-old and another sign that he is doing everything right when he is on the pitch for Liverpool.

Elliott clearly has a very bright future ahead of him. He’s still so young, and he’s only just getting started. As he grows and develops, there will be even more from him.