Liverpool received a welcome boost after one of their players confirmed he is staying immediately after the 2-1 Champions League win over Lille on Tuesday night.
Mo Salah opened the scoring with his 22nd goal of the season, before Jonathan David equalised for the visitors, who were reduced to 10 men when Aissa Mandi was sent off for a second yellow card offence.
Harvey Elliott came off the bench to bag the winner in the 67th minute to ensure that the Reds maintain their 100 per cent record in the Champions League, with seven wins out of seven to claim maximum points.
The former Fulham midfielder has struggled for regular game-time this season after suffering an injury for the first part of season and finding himself behind others in the pecking order.
Advert
In recent times, Elliott has been linked with both Brighton and Hove Albion and Borussia Dortmund as a result of his lack of minutes.
After scoring, the 21-year-old performed a chatting gesture with his hand before placing it across his throat - a clear response to recent speculation.
After his heroics, Elliott explained the thought behind the celebration and discussed his future - remaining adamant that he will not be going anywhere.
“I think it’s pretty clear to be honest, I’m not leaving," Elliott told Amazon Prime.
“You know, I think I said it in an interview the other day, this is my team. This is my club, I’m a massive fan, you know, and we’re in a great position so far this season.
"To be honest I didn't really see all the stuff, it was just a few things that my friends had said to me - calling me out left, right and centre!
"It's always going to happen in January - especially after being out for a long time and not really playing as much as I want to but that's football."
Liverpool's rumoured asking price
Liverpool paid around £1.5 million for Elliott, plus a further £2.8 million in bonuses in line with the required compensation. According to recent reports, the club would want a fee of £35 million - £40 million if they were to sell him.
Elliott has managed just 53 minutes across eight Premier League appearances but manager Arne Slot has explained that it has been difficult for him to find the right level of intensity because of the injury he suffered at the start of the season.
"He was very unlucky that after two games he got injured, was out for a long time," Slot said in a press conference.
"And from what I’ve seen until now, with almost all of our players that have been out for quite a while, in this league, in this tempo, in this intensity, and the quality we have, the other teams have as well, it is not so easy to come back and be at your best immediately.
"I see this not only with Harvey, I see this with almost all the other players that have been out for five, six, seven or eight weeks. That is the balance we have to find, by giving them playing time to get back to their best level but still be able to win every game."
Topics: Liverpool, Champions League, Arne Slot
Josh Lawless