The Liverpool midfielder was on target as the Young Lions booked their place in the European Under-21 Championship semi-finals
Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott couldn’t hide his excitement after scoring a pivotal goal that saw England U21s advance to the Euro semi-finals with a 3-1 triumph over Spain. Elliott and Liverpool teammates Jarell Quansah and Tyler Morton all started the match.
England’s U21 stars weathered an early scare with VAR overturning a Spanish penalty claim, before James McAtee’s early strike, an Elliott poach five minutes later and a last-gasp Elliot Anderson penalty guaranteed the win.
Despite Javi Guerra converting from the spot before the break for Spain, Lee Carsley’s side enjoyed a victorious evening and are now set to tackle the Netherlands in a critical semi-final showdown on Wednesday.
READ MORE: Former Liverpool star makes passionate announcement following Anfield exitREAD MORE: ‘I’m sure of it’ – Jurgen Klopp delivers glowing verdict on latest Liverpool transfer
Speaking of the win, Elliott shared: “Incredible. Lost for words, I think. I said at the start of the game it was going to be very tough, they’re going to play an incredible game against us, but I thought the way the lads handled it, handled the pressure, conceding a goal and being determined to keep on going, keep on fighting, we deserve it so much.”
Looking ahead, he explained: “Now it’s kind of time to celebrate, but we need to think about the semis now. Celebrate, recover, rest, go again.”
Morton, however, won’t feature in the semifinal due to a booking against Spain while Napoli’s Rafa Marin received marching orders just before tensions flared post-match.
Elliott commented on the tense moments in the match, stating: “It was always going to happen. I think it’s just passion from both teams, it’s just one of them. I was trying to calm everyone down, because at the end of the day we have everything to lose. They don’t if they get sent off.
“We have to focus now, we can’t get too carried away, we can’t lose players for the semi-final.”
Manchester City’s young talent McAtee also chimed in with a level-headed approach: “We’re over the moon, but the focus is the semi-final now. We’re happy about the win, but we need to switch focus.”
England manager Carsley expressed his satisfaction with the team’s response after a challenging start: “We talked about getting a fast start and to give the penalty away after a minute, obviously then going to VAR – the lads showed a lot of character,” he praised.
“I thought the first half we were so good. I was saying before the game, I think the longer we can stay in, the more fluid we will become. Some really outstanding performances and they should be proud of themselves.”
With the next challenge in sight, Carsley reminds his squad that there’s more to strive for: “The big thing is this can’t be our final. This can’t be our highlight of the competition, there’s better nights to come.”
