Liam Millar denied maiden goal as Elliott bags another assist – Liverpool FC Loan Watch

January 17, 2021
Joanna Durkan

It was a weekend of action for Liverpool’s loanees, with Liam Millar narrowly avoiding opening his account at Charlton as Harvey Elliott continued to pile up the goal contributions.

It’s been straight to work for Millar at Charlton since joining at the turn of the year, having played in three successive games for his new side.

And after his first two games ended in a defeat and draw respectively, the third time around the 21-year-old was on the winning team in a League One 1-0 win over Bristol Rovers.

The Canada international was full of energy and forward impetus in his 90-minute outing, showcasing his pace on the counter and coupling it with vital defensive actions from the left-wing.

The immediate faith shown by Lee Bowyer has been seized by Millar so far and while the only goal of the game had initially been credited to the Red, it was later determined Jake Forster-Caskey had scored directly from a corner.

“It’s Jake’s goal,” Bowyer said post-match. “Liam admitted he didn’t touch it. That shows he’s young and innocent – if that had been me I’d have been claiming it.”

A bright start, nevertheless, and one Liverpool will hope he uses as a springboard for the remainder of the season.

For Elliott, meanwhile, he continues to catch the eye in the Championship for Blackburn after adding yet another assist to his name to help salvage a 1-1 draw against Joe Allen’s Stoke.

The Rovers had found themselves behind just before half-time thanks to a thumping header from a corner, but it was the 17-year-old’s desperation to keep the ball in play with 14 minutes left in the game which rescued a point.

With an initial ball sent goalwards sliding past the Stoke ‘keeper towards the left upright, Elliott was the only one to gamble on the by-line to send a first time pass John Buckley to finish.

The assist was the seventh of the season for Elliott, who played the second half on the left of midfield, ensuring he remains his side’s leading assist maker and the Championship’s second behind only Reading’s Michael Olise.

Elsewhere in England, Harry Wilson completed his sixth successive 90-minute game in a 2-1 defeat to league leaders Norwich in what was a quiet afternoon for the Welshman.

Sheyi Ojo joined him for the final 32 minutes but a red card for Cardiff after they pegged back a goal derailed their hopes of leaving with a point.

There was a rare spell of action for Ben Woodburn in Blackpool’s 1-1 draw at Hull in what could have been his swan song with his loan not expected to be extended beyond January 17, while Adam Lewis made a 12-minute cameo on his debut for Plymouth.

On the continent now and the fortunes of Taiwo Awoniyi and Marko Grujic could not be starker.

The former played 76 minutes as Union Berlin toppled the impressive Leverkusen to move a point away from Borussia Dortmund in fourth, while Grujic settled for a one-minute time-wasting substitution with Porto as his loan move continues to create more questions than answers.