As is becoming increasingly consistent, Harvey Elliott emerged as the creme de la creme, influential and at his playmaking best as Arne Slot's Liverpool side defeated Arsenal in a pre-season friendly over the pond.
Operating in a No. 10 role, Liverpool's Dutch head coach singled the 21-year-old out for post-match praise after assisting both of the goals in an entertaining 2-1 win over the Gunners, who finished second in the Premier League last season.
Liverpool are going to look markedly different under new tactical management, with Jurgen Klopp's heavy-metal brand of football replaced by Slot's "elegant" control-centric game, as Elliott has put it.
It's important not to get carried away by friendlies: Liverpool struggled for results throughout their 2019 pre-season, off the back of a 97-point Premier League and Champions League-winning campaign and preceding an almighty league title triumph in 2019/20.
11/07/2019
Tranmere Rovers
6-0 win
14/07/2019
Bradford City
3-1 win
19/07/2019
Borussia Dortmund
3-2 loss
21/07/2019
Sevilla
2-1 loss
24/07/2019
Sporting Lisbon
2-2 draw
28/07/2019
Napoli
3-0 loss
31/07/2019
Lyon
3-1 win
A host of first-team regulars are still absent but several players grasped their opportunity marvellously, with Elliott joined by defenders Jarell Quansah and the sought-after Sepp van den Berg in impressing.
Another rarely-seen starlet, Fabio Carvalho also left his mark in Philadelphia and might be set for a big season ahead.
Fabio Carvalho's performance vs Arsenal
Carvalho started brightly on Merseyside after joining from Fulham in a deal worth £5m plus add-ons in 2022, notably scoring a dramatic last-gasp winner against Newcastle United in the Premier League in 2022, but he was used less and less frequently by Jurgen Klopp as the campaign dragged on.
Loaned out to RB Leipzig for the 2023/24 season, he found himself shackled to the fringe and was duly recalled in January and cast back out to the Championship with Hull City, where his fortunes changed most dramatically, scoring nine goals and assisting two more over 20 outings, averaging 2.1 key passes per match to boot.
Now, he's been a central part of Slot's pre-season preparations and started on the left flank against Arsenal, doubling the Anfield-based club's advantage after dispatching Elliott's expertly placed dink.
Carvalho will now hope to kick on and continue to impress before Liverpool start their Premier League campaign away to Ipswich Town in just over a fortnight.
Against Arsenal, the Portugal U21 international wasn't at the heart of all of the play, taking only 21 touches, but he completed a dribble, won four duels and threatened consistently, carrying his goalscoring form with the Tigers into Slot's squad.
For his efforts, the Liverpool Echo's Paul Gorst provided the versatile forward with an 8/10 match rating, writing: 'One sumptuous turn ended with him being brought down about 25 yards out. Looked lively with some typically neat close control. Took his goal well. Still needs to nail down a position though, you suspect.'
His fleet-footed style and dynamic offensive qualities could be an invaluable tool for the Redmen this year, adding something different, but Gorst is right, he needs to nail down a position.
But he impressed on the left, and while Liverpool remain interested in Anthony Gordon, Carvalho is striving to prove that he boasts the skills to make a real difference.
Why Carvalho could be set for a big season at Liverpool
Gordon was the subject of FSG interest in June but a prospective deal fell through after Newcastle United found an alternative means to combat their PSR concerns.
Newcastle's 2023/24 Player of the Year, the England international was immense for the Magpies last season, posting 12 goals and 11 assists across all competitions and being hailed for his "unbelievable" performances by teammate Bruno Guimaraes.
He was creative and electric down the wing for Eddie Howe's side, averaging 1.6 key passes and 1.5 dribbles per Premier League match, as per Sofascore.
However, if Liverpool hope to sign the 23-year-old this summer, they might have to fork out some £75m, which would be pretty costly considering Luis Diaz currently plies his trade with constancy on Liverpool's left wing.
Moreover, Carvalho is staking his own claim and given that he ranked among the top 5% of positional peers in the Championship last term for shot-creating actions, the top 3% for passes attempted, the top 4% for progressive passes and the top 10% for tackles per 90, as per FBref, there's no reason why he couldn't incorporate his own successful brand into Slot's system, saving FSG a pretty penny.
Carvalho has demonstrated now that he has what it takes to succeed in this Liverpool side. On top of his goal against north London opposition, he also drew the most fouls (3) and indeed won the most duels (4) – need more be said of his robust and eager nature?
Gordon, unquestionably, would be a top, top signing for a team sharpening its ball-playing ability and thus finding great value in such a pacey and potent winger, but whether Newcastle are willing to play ball after mitigating their financial concerns is another matter entirely.
Carvalho's silky-smooth movements and budding prolificness in the final third could see him become an important player down the line, and if Gordon's signature proves to be out of reach, Slot might just find that he already has a dynamic attacking option ready to complement the existing options and contribute crucially to the rise.
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