Harvey Elliott: We have to work to put things right - but we'll keep fighting
Harvey Elliott vowed Liverpool will 'keep fighting for the badge and the fans' to put results right.
The Reds fell to a 2-1 Emirates FA Cup fourth-round defeat at Brighton & Albion on Sunday afternoon, as their defence of the trophy came to a close.
Elliott’s fifth goal of the season put Liverpool ahead at Amex Stadium, the 19-year-old coolly slotting home on the half-hour mark after being played in by Mohamed Salah.
Lewis Dunk equalised for the home side before half-time and there was to be a late strike, with Kaoru Mitoma lashing in a 92nd-minute winner to send Brighton into the last 16.
Elliott says Liverpool must draw from the reserves of spirit, togetherness and resolve which have laid the foundation for the team’s success in recent years.
The Reds return to Premier League action on Saturday when they take on Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux.
"We have to keep fighting for the fans and for the badge," he told Liverpoolfc.com.
"It’s been a tough season so far. In training tomorrow and throughout the week, we have to work to put things right. It’s down to us. It’s another tough opponent in the next game. We need to look at ourselves but, at the same time, pick ourselves up.
"The reason we have been so successful is because of the amount of fight we have, the work we put in on the training pitch, and the hunger and desire to play for the fans and the club. We always believe."
Elliott is the only player in the Liverpool squad to have featured in all 31 of the club’s matches so far this season.
When asked what it means to have earned the trust of manager Jürgen Klopp, the 19-year-old replied: "I’m loving it here, playing for my boyhood club, there’s nothing more I’d want to do in life.
"At the same time, it’s frustrating results aren’t going our way. That would be the cherry on the cake for me.
"On a personal note, it’s nice to have the backing of the manager and the coaching staff to go out and play these games. That’s what I want to keep doing.
"I want to keep playing for Liverpool and contributing, helping us win games and getting us up the table. Hopefully I can get these opportunities more and more and show the fans that I care with all my heart."
Read on for the remainder of Elliott’s interview….
On how difficult it is to lose in such circumstances…
I’m lost for words. Especially [to lose] in the last kick of the game. We fought so hard throughout the game. We had chances ourselves. I had chances to make it two and increase our lead. It’s another learning curve. Unfortunately, the game is done, we can’t change the outcome. We have to go again.
On how the game could have gone either way in the second half...
Maybe luck is just not on our side at the moment. You never know, that late chance could have fallen to us and we could’ve scored at the other end, and we could be coming away with a win. We need to stay concentrated throughout the whole game and make sure we put performances in.
Brighton is a tough place to come. We knew they were going to be hard opposition to play against. We witnessed that a couple of weeks ago. It’s another learning curve to take into the next game and hopefully put right against another tough opponent.
On the importance of stringing together positive results and building momentum…
It feels at the moment like we take steps forward and take a few back. But the joy of football is we always have another game coming around the corner. We have to prepare for that, we have to keep going. We need to stick together as a team and that’s not just us, but the fans and everyone involved with Liverpool.
On how the squad will use the days ahead of the Wolves clash on Saturday…
It’s a chance for us to level our heads and start fresh. Having that full week [before the game] means there will be a lot of training and things we can work on. There is time to put this result to bed and look forward to the next game. For us, it’s what we need to do, we have to turn things around. We need to keep fighting for the fans, the badge, the manager, for the coaching staff, and for each and every one of us.
On how he is feeling after taking a knock to the head during the game…
I’m OK. It’s a bit sore, but it’s nothing that’s going to stop me. I’ve had worse. It’s just a bang on the head, so I should be over it in the next couple of days. These things happen in football.