Harvey Elliott, two goals and what they mean for him and England

New York Times

26-06-2025

Harvey Elliott, like his England team-mates, has needed time to grow into the Under-21 European Championships in Slovakia this month.
A final against Germany on Saturday awaits Lee Carsley's side, and the Liverpool midfielder has played no small part in them reaching a second successive final, having won the competition in 2023.
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Though Elliott scored in a 3-1 opening-match win over the Czech Republic, it was not until Carsley changed the team's shape in the knockout stages that the 22-year-old has been able to flourish. He scored against Spain in the quarter-finals before a match-winning performance in the semi-final victory over the Netherlands on Wednesday.
But those two goals against the Dutch meant more than just a place in the final for Elliott.
He is one of two players in this year's squad, alongside Toulouse's Charlie Cresswell, who were part of the 2023 team. Elliott started just one game that summer, but came into this one as a group leader, and needed to show that.
After a season when his only two league starts came after Liverpool had already won the Premier League, and ended with him saying he does not want to 'waste years' of his career, he also needed to gather positive momentum before the new season.
He needed confidence, and has found it in Slovakia.
In the group stage, often coming as deep as the halfway line to receive the ball, there was too much thought behind Elliott's actions. As the semi-final opened up, it allowed instinct to take over, which is when Elliott's natural ability shone through.
Speaking about the first goal, former Tottenham Hotspur and England striker Jermain Defoe said on Channel 4: 'I want to talk about the first touch because if it wasn't out of his feet, it makes the chance even harder.
'The first touch doesn't allow the defender to get back across, then he looks at the goalkeeper and slows his feet down, gets his shoulders over the ball and hits it.'
The move itself was free-flowing, but for Elliott to take the ball in stride and finish so powerfully off his weaker foot displayed the importance of playing free.
The shackles were off, and he probably doesn't even get into the space to score the second without scoring the first.
For the late winner (see below), after his initial drive forward and turn, most players would lay the ball to a team-mate.
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Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson was calling for a pass just five yards away, but Elliott ignored him a drove forward again.
By the time it all opened up, with the help of a push in the back, he had another pass on to Marseille's Jonathan Rowe.
Wearing the captain's armband by this point, Elliott had seen Rowe, but decided this would be his moment, and it was.
'The nudge from the defender actually helped him get an extra yard and then it's about picking the spot,' former Chelsea and England midfielder Joe Cole said on Channel 4. 'It's all about Harvey Elliott popping into the pockets.'
'It's the hardest thing to do when you get the ball and go past people,' Defoe added. 'It's the hardest thing to do apart from scoring goals at the end of it. Especially in those conditions.'
The point on the conditions is valid. The match was played in 33-degree heat and Carsley had spoken about the difficulty his dribblers were having due to pitches drying out so quickly in the group stages.
Elliott felt the effect of the dry surface when he hurt his knee with an attempted knee slide when celebrating his first goal, but the adrenaline spurred in that moment took him to a different level.
Elliott's mind will solely be on Saturday's final, but his growing influence will only serve him well ahead of next season.
During the Euros, the Liverpool trio of Elliott, Jarell Quansah and Tyler Morton have often been seen sticking together before matches. All three are in need of more regular minutes and have spoken about the support they have been giving each other given their respective situations.
A Liverpool supporter, Elliott also said that he does not want to leave the Merseyside club despite needing to play more. The arrival of Florian Wirtz for a club-record €136.3million (£116m) will only make the task of establishing himself in attacking midfield harder. Especially considering a big moment like scoring a late winner in Liverpool's Champions League quarter-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain did not act as a launchpad for his season.
That is why the momentum built this month is so important.
Chelsea's Cole Palmer was in a similar situation during the 2023 European Championship, albeit to a lesser extent than Elliott.
Palmer came through Manchester City's academy, and had made just two league starts the season before the tournament (2022-23). He scored one and assisted two goals in England's 3-1 semi-final win over Israel, and then saw his free kick deflected in off Curtis Jones to beat Spain 1-0 in the final. He carried that momentum into the 2023-24 season, scoring in the Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup for City before leaving for Chelsea at the end of the window.
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Palmer had only made 42 first team appearances for City, while Elliott has made 147 across six years at Liverpool, but he needs to find an environment that allows him to thrive as a starter.
As well as returning to Carsley's squad as a more established member, the manager's emphasis on creativity has helped build that environment at international level. After playing the midfielder as one of 10 No 1os against Portugal in March, Carsley said: 'The players are so attacking and enthusiastic, I don't want to dampen that too much because we don't have enough English players that are like that. It's getting that balance. I want them to play with that belief, that's the way I coach — we have to attack.'
Pushed on that in a group stage press conference, he added: 'We need players that are different, understand how to be creative and are able to step up in the biggest moments. Our challenge as coaches is to make sure we put the right players in the right challenges and support them with that.'
Elliott definitely stepped up when provided with a different challenge against the Netherlands. It won't be easy to replicate that against a Germany side who have won all their games at the tournament so far, but at least Elliott is showing what he can do when confident and in rhythm.