Journalist noticed Harvey Elliott’s cool-as-a-breeze response to Villa fans last night

Harvey Elliott exudes an air of supreme confidence when he’s on a football pitch, looking very much like a young man who isn’t easily fazed.

That was in evidence once more on Monday night during Liverpool’s 3-3 draw away to Aston Villa, with one noteworthy moment catching the attention of Reds fans, as well as one journalist.

Ian Doyle was covering the match for the Liverpool Echo, for whom he provided a round-up of moments from the game which may have gone unnoticed in TV broadcasts.

When Elliott was substituted in the 76th minute, the reporter noted: “The travelling Kop acknowledged the efforts of the 21-year-old by giving him a standing ovation on his substitution as he departed the field by the away end before walking around the goal back to the tunnel.

“When Elliott made a chatty gesture with his hand as he passed the goading Villa fans, the Liverpool support loved it.”

Elliott is well accustomed to being the recipient of widespread heckling from opposition supporters, having run the gauntlet at Craven Cottage during Liverpool’s win away to his former club Fulham last month.

As if his ice-cold gesture to the disparaging Villa fans last night didn’t endear him enough to the travelling Reds, the passionate manner in which he celebrated Jarell Quansah’s first Premier League goal would’ve done the trick.

Jurgen Klopp’s team may have stuttered towards the conclusion of his final season in charge, but the man in the number 19 shirt has been one of our standout performers during that period. He scored a show-stopping goal against Tottenham last week and provided the cross from which Emiliano Martinez hilariously dropped the ball over his own goalline on Monday.

Elliott is playing with such conviction that he might yet make a late burst for Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024, and even if that tournament comes too soon for the uncapped 21-year-old, he looks like a player who could genuinely explode under Arne Slot next term.

What we can see for definite is that it’ll take a lot more than a few catcalls from opposition fans to get under the skin of this confident and brilliantly gifted young talent.