Liverpool navigated their way through a tricky first-leg at the San Siro to overcome Inter 2-0, consequently taking a big step towards the Champions League quarter-final.
There’s still the second leg to go at Anfield in two weeks time, yet the Reds are understandably now favourited to progress it into the last eight of Europe’s premier competition.
Although the scoreline paints the picture of a comfortable night’s work for Jurgen Klopp’s men, the reality at times was anything but.
The hosts had several good spells in which they looked extremely dangerous, particularly early in the second half.
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So much so that Klopp felt compelled to make a triple substitution before the hour mark, bringing on Luis Diaz, Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita.
Replaced were Sadio Mane, Fabinho and youngster Harvey Elliott, who was something of a surprise inclusion in Klopp’s starting 11.
Elliott has been a revelation on either side of the awful ankle injury he sustained earlier in the campaign, and his start in this big Champions League clash was a testament to his growing importance to this Liverpool side.
However, he didn’t have his best game for the Reds and struggled to impact play not only with the ball but also without it.
On the night, he completed no successful dribbles, made no progressive runs and accumulated a pass success rate of just 74%. These are numbers way below what we’ve come to expect from the former Fulham man. It was defensively though where the biggest issues appeared.
Inter played with three at the back and wing-backs pushed up high. Simone Inzaghi’s men were brave in possession and looked to build through and around the Liverpool press.
This is something that Klopp’s men rarely face in the Premier League, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to state that Elliott probably hasn’t been tested to this extent defensively as a right-sided midfielder since joining the club.
When Inter were in possession, he’d at times struggle to know when to press, what positions to take up or wouldn’t be aware of the threat around him.
Consequently, Inter were having success in playing down Liverpool’s right, with at times one pass being enough to get them in favourable situations like the below.
This wasn’t all down to Elliott, with the whole team at times looking unsure on who to press and what positions to take in order to limit Inter’s options on the ball.
However, Keita’s introduction on the hour mark brought more protection and support in that area of the pitch, and Inter started to struggle much more when trying to build their attacks.
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Leaning on his experience, across his 30-minute cameo the 27-year-old made three interceptions, five possession recoveries and won 3/5 of his defensive duels.
In contrast despite playing an hour, Elliott managed just one interception, one recovery and won only one of his defensive duels.
In hindsight, starting with Keita from the outset may have been a wiser move from Klopp.
However, Elliott is bound to play a huge part in many more big European nights for the Reds in the years to come, therefore experiences like the one on Wednesday night will surely play a significant role in his continued development at the club.
