After defeating Marco Silva’s Fulham 3-1 at Craven Cottage on Sunday afternoon, Liverpool shot up to second place in the Premier League standings.

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s first goal was cancelled out by Timothy Castagne’s strike, and the Reds had to battle hard to tie the score at one at halftime.

But goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Diogo Jota in the second half made sure that Merseyside got all three points back, and now Jurgen Klopp’s team is tied with Arsenal at the top of the division despite Arsenal having a superior goal differential.

The German head coach still has a chance to round out his time at Anfield with a second Premier League trophy, as the Reds have five games remaining until the season ends.

But it will need a tremendous effort to cross the finish line in the upcoming weeks, as Manchester City and Arsenal will be tough opponents.

However, by giving Harvey Elliott, a non-starter, a chance to shine against Fulham, Klopp might have discovered a new hidden weapon in the title fight.

After just seven Premier League starts this season, the England U21 international grabbed attention with a strong showing in the middle of the park.

Ian Doyle of the Liverpool Echo gave Elliott a 7/10 for creativity and energy during the game. Elliott took advantage of his opportunity to make an impression for the Reds by darting about the field both in and out of possession.

Of course, his assist on the Reds’ second goal of the game was his most notable contribution. After skillfully intercepting an errant pass from Fulham, he looked ahead and saw Gravenberch in between the lines. This gave the former Bayern Munich player the opportunity to turn and shoot the ball into the net.

With the score at 1-1, it was a pivotal moment for Liverpool in the game as both teams were trying to take the lead. Elliott’s combination of offensive and defensive play set up his teammate’s opportunity.

The former Fulham star demonstrated his efficacy and efficiency with the ball by completing 83% (50/60) of his attempted passes and 100% (1/1) of his attempted dribbles in 90 minutes on the field.

Even against the physically intimidating Sasa Lukic and Joao Palhinha, the left-footed maestro, who only gave up the ball 11 times in total, showed off his physical side by winning four of eight duels. This indicates that, despite his small stature of 5 feet 7 inches, he was not a liability for Klopp’s team off the ball.

Elliott gave a fantastic, well-rounded performance in midfield, and given his lack of starts so far and his ability to produce even more, he might now be Liverpool’s new hidden weapon.

The 21-year-old wizard has only made seven starts in his 29 Premier League games this season, indicating that he has often been used as a replacement.

To show the kind of impact he can have when starting games on a regular basis, all you have to do is look at his performances in the Europa League and when wearing an England shirt at the U21 level.

Elliott has averaged an assist for every other start in Europe this term, as shown in the table above. This demonstrates his exceptional inventiveness, which he has also demonstrated this term for his nation.

This season, in his last six games for England’s U21s, the remarkable maestro has accrued seven goals, three assists, twenty-six crucial passes, and six “big chances” generated.

On the other hand, in 29 Premier League games, the gifted magician has only contributed two goals and three assists—the third coming against Fulham.

If Klopp starts Elliott regularly between now and the end of the season, these numbers, along with his outstanding performance from the start against the Cottagers, indicate that Elliott might provide Liverpool much more in the top tier than he has so far this season.

This is the reason the young player, if the manager puts his faith in him, might be a surprising new weapon in the title fight for the Reds. His incredible creative quality and tendency for chipping in with a goal for England could end up being a game-changer during the final stretch.