Though Darwin Nunez rightly took the headlines for his match-winning brace, Arne Slot was keen to highlight Harvey Elliott‘s influence in the win at Brentford.
Nunez came off the bench to score twice as Liverpool earned a late 2-0 victory in west London, but Elliott also produced a bright cameo of his own.
The 21-year-old has been starved of opportunities in the Premier League this season but played a key part in both goals at Brentford, assisting the second.
And asked about Elliott’s role in the win, Slot took the opportunity to praise the young midfielder and the ability to change the game with his bench.
“In all the other interviews there was a lot of focus on Darwin, because he scored two goals, and every time I said ‘yeah, but don’t forget Harvey’,” Slot told reporters.
Brentford 0-2 Liverpool
“He had a big impact on both goals as well.
“It’s so nice for me, for us as a team, that I have players that can impact the game on the bench as well.
“This happened at Forest with Jota and Kostas and today with Harvey and with Darwin.
“I also liked Robbo and Curtis when they came in, and Federico was only for five minutes but it’s nice to have so many opportunities on the bench as well.
“That’s why they have to stay available, they have to stay fit, because one of the strengths of the team is also players who can impact the game from the bench.”
There was, of course, a reason Nunez’s name dominated the post-match coverage, particularly given the story around his frustrating campaign so far.
Even before the game, though, Slot insisted he had no issues with the performances of his No. 9 and, vindicated, he backed that up in his press conference.
“One of you asked me similar things before the game about Darwin and I didn’t agree then that he’s not having a good season,” the head coach explained.
“I think he’s having a good season. He scores goals, he works very hard for the team, he assists.
“But he’s in competition with a lot of good players, so that’s why he’s not on the pitch every single game.
“I’m very happy with him, not only because he scored two goals today – that of course helps – but I’m very happy with the other performances he put in for us as well.”
