With conscionable 5 minutes to go, Harvey Elliott stood and savoured the acclaim.
The Liverpool guardant raised his arms astatine the Stadion Tehelne rod successful celebration, drinking successful the reception aft scoring his - and England Under-21s' - 2nd extremity - one which yet sent the Young Lions into their 2nd successive Euro final.
Elliott's treble booked a showdown with Germany oregon France connected Saturday aft Lee Carsley's defending champions deservedly bushed the Netherlands successful the sweltering vigor of Bratislava.
A pouch of young fans had spent the bulk of the 2nd fractional chanting his name, particularly aft helium smashed successful a good 62nd-minute opener, and Elliott deserved the adulation aft a play of frustration.
The 22-year-old won the Premier League with Liverpool past play but made conscionable 2 starts to permission his Anfield aboriginal uncertain.
Elliott admitted helium does not privation to beryllium "wasting years" successful his vocation and volition measure his nine concern this summer.
If his performances successful Slovakia are thing to spell by past helium volition person plentifulness of suitors and options to play regular first-team football.
Four goals for the Young Lions has near Elliott arsenic the tournament's 2nd apical scorer and poised to implicit a idiosyncratic treble having helped England assistance the Euro 2023 title.
He is 1 of the leaders of the radical and lone helium and Toulouse's erstwhile Leeds defender Charlie Cresswell stay from the trophy-winning squad of 2 years ago.
Elliott was affectional afterwards arsenic helium reflected connected his precocious and decisive winner, saying: "It's up there, each extremity I people is simply a monolithic infinitesimal due to the fact that I bask scoring goals, I bask the feeling and buzz and it gives maine confidence.
"Emotionally and mentally it's decidedly up there. There's thing amended than scoring for your state successful beforehand of your household successful the stands.
"We each merit to beryllium here, the squad is unthinkable successful presumption of the quality, successful presumption of however we play shot arsenic a squad and the togetherness we have.
"The infinitesimal we person fearfulness wrong ourselves is the infinitesimal it goes wrong. I deliberation now, particularly aft the Spain crippled [in the quarter-finals], the fearfulness isn't determination anymore. We tin instrumentality connected immoderate team."
He did, though, admit helium would request to re-think his sliding solemnisation aft his opener.
"I decided to a bash a silly genu descent which truly hurt, but you person to unrecorded successful the moment," Elliott told BBC Radio 5 Live.
Elliott made 18 league appearances nether Arne Slot past season, but his lone 2 starts came against Chelsea and Brighton, erstwhile Liverpool had already won the league.
That was successful stark opposition to the erstwhile season, with 11 starts successful 34 league games for the Reds successful Jurgen Klopp's last campaign.
Elliott has made 147 appearances, scoring 15 goals, successful his six years astatine Liverpool since joining from Fulham arsenic a teenager, with a play connected indebtedness astatine Blackburn successful 2020-21.
England Under-21 brag Carsley has lone seen Elliott's tendency to win this summer.
"I've not seen a batch of the frustration," helium added. "What I person seen is idiosyncratic who's determined to play and to get the minutes. He wants to play each crippled and each of the minutes.
"He's decidedly built into the tournament. Not getting arsenic overmuch crippled clip towards the extremity of the season, we've had to negociate his minutes successful presumption of the magnitude he's played and the strength helium plays astatine due to the fact that he's truthful explosive with the mode helium moves and his extremity product.
"We're precise fortunate to person him."
Brighton person been linked with a determination for Elliott, arsenic person erstwhile nine Fulham, and portion Wolves person been mentioned they person already signed Spaniard Fer Lopez and immoderate interest is apt to beryllium excessively precocious for the Molineux outfit.
Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock, portion of BBC 5 Live's commentary squad successful Slovakia, believes Elliott has done good to disregard speech astir his aboriginal and impressment astatine the Euros.
"There's a batch of speculation astir 'will helium beryllium astatine Liverpool adjacent year?'," said Warnock, who made 67 appearances aft coming done the younker ranks astatine Anfield.
"That's not easy. There volition beryllium telephone calls with his cause astir who's talking, wherever are we looking astatine going and what are the imaginable avenues, americium I going to enactment astatine Liverpool? It's precise overmuch a rollercoaster arsenic the tourney goes on.
"Because of the magnitude of games helium has played for Liverpool, and the interaction helium had coming in, I deliberation we each thought helium would catapult and play for a agelong clip successful the archetypal team.
"But helium has a World Cup victor successful Alexis Mac Allister successful beforehand of him, [Ryan] Gravenberch had an unbelievable play and [Dominik] Szoboszlai was brought successful for large money.
"He has responded good successful this tournament. Mo Salah talks astir moments successful games and Harvey Elliott is 1 of those players for the moment. When the infinitesimal presents itself helium is calm and composed."
Former England planetary Joe Cole said Elliott volition present beryllium blistery property.
He has 2 years near connected his Liverpool contract, but with the £116m accomplishment of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen his crippled clip is apt to beryllium further limited.
Cole told Channel 4: "I emotion the kid, helium plays shot the close way. I americium excited for his future. He has done a large occupation for Liverpool but if helium decides to determination on, determination are levels to determination connected again. That passion, helium tin amusement each week.
"Anyone extracurricular the apical six helium comfortably walks into and past 2 years connected that level helium comes backmost to Liverpool's level and competes.
"He started arsenic a young antheral astatine Fulham but his learning has been dispersed out. Teams from each implicit Europe volition beryllium looking for Harvey Elliott's agent's number."
Cole besides believes Elliott's matchwinning onslaught - driving guardant earlier firing a debased changeable into the country from the borderline of the container - was worthy of greater praise.
"That 2nd goal, if Messi did this, the satellite would beryllium stopping. He has this quality and the frustrating happening is helium could bash it connected a accordant ground if helium played regularly," said the erstwhile West Ham, Chelsea and Liverpool midfielder.
"His occupation is helium tin bash truthful galore bully things. He's a unfortunate of his ain skills and that is wherefore helium has been truthful bully for Liverpool. They tin play him anywhere."
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