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Harvey Elliott has expressed his joy towards Aston Villa's stoppage-time winner, despite his struggles at the Birmingham club.
Arsenal’s title ambitions suffered a setback on Saturday as the Gunners fell 2-1 to Villa at Villa Park. The defeat leaves Mikel Arteta’s side with just two wins from their last five Premier League matches, following draws against Chelsea and Sunderland last month.
Meanwhile, Unai Emery’s Villa have surged into the title race, buoyed by an impressive run of recent form. Emi Buendia’s 95th-minute strike sealed the dramatic victory, moving Villa into second place in the table, just three points shy of the leaders.
Elliott was once again left out of the matchday squad for Villa’s clash with Arsenal and has not featured for the club in any competition since October 2.
Despite this, the 22-year-old took to social media to show his support for his teammates. Posting the result on his Instagram story, Elliott said: "Lets gooooo" - followed by three fire emojis.
Ironically, the player Emery had previously said was blocking Elliott’s path into the team ended up scoring Villa’s decisive goal against Arsenal.
"I am happy how he is doing his work here," Emery said of Elliott last month.
"But now it is difficult because he has other players playing and performing well, for example, Emi Buendia and other players."
Despite the unusual circumstances, few would argue that Villa would be doing better with Elliott in the side.
The midfielder is fully fit and available for selection, yet he was overlooked for the Arsenal game, with Villa’s bench featuring George Hemmings, an 18-year-old who has yet to make a Premier League appearance.
Elliott’s omission becomes even more striking considering the inclusion of Jadon Sancho, who was brought on from the bench during Saturday’s match. Like Elliott, Sancho joined Villa on a season-long loan over the summer.
However, the 25-year-old former England international has yet to score or register an assist in 12 appearances this season, making his continued preference over Elliott all the more puzzling for Liverpool supporters.
There has been speculation that Elliott might leave Villa in the January transfer window. However, having already played for Liverpool and made five appearances for Villa this season, he cannot join another club.
Consequently, Liverpool would be his only possible destination if he were to depart Villa, but even that seems unlikely
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