Liverpool rounded off a difficult week by beating Fulham 3-1 at Craven Cottage on Sunday.
There was huge pressure on Jurgen Klopp and his players heading into this game, but they showcased their character to stay in the Premier League title race.
After losing to Crystal Palace last week and then crashing out of the Europa League, Liverpool very much needed this win.
The three men who helped the Reds to the points were Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ryan Gravenberch and Diogo Jota.
Two of those players were returning to XI after injury issues during these past few months, whilst Gravenberch was handed a rare start by his manager.
Well, he rewarded the soon-to-be departing German with a goal and has done himself wonders going forward.
It was a brilliant strike from the Dutchman to put Liverpool back into the lead after the break and Michael Owen was sure to give the player his flowers.
The former striker also praised Harvey Elliott for the role he played in that goal and how he was ‘brave’ in his efforts, as he told Premier League Productions (21/04/24 at 6:40 pm).
It was a mistake from ex-Everton man Alex Iwobi that resulted in Elliott getting the ball, before he fed it to his teammate and he finished off proceedings.
Ryan Gravenberch and Harvey Elliott impress as Liverpool beat Fulham
“There definitely would have been a bit of change in team talk from Jurgen Klopp,” said Owen.
“Fulham were the masters of their own downfall in a way. Iwobi here, it’s a poor square pass and I don’t know where that was going. Then a nice little brave ball by Harvey Elliott to Gravenberch and this first touch was good. He prepared it nicely – but I love this ball here.
“Good players can take the ball in small gaps and Gravenberch just found himself in a lovely little gap. He opened it out onto his right foot and curled it into the corner. Lovely finish.”
Ryan Gravenberch to start more games
The 21-year-old is a highly-rated player and has struggled to meet those expectations during the early part of his career.
After coming through the famous Ajax academy and impressing for the first team, he secured a big transfer to Bayern Munich.
But he wasn’t able to prove his worth and that road led him to Anfield.
Once again, there have been mixed results and performances from the hard-hitting midfielder, but this was one of his better games and signs that he is improving.
He should keep his place in the XI ahead of a busy week for Liverpool, but fans should also be patient with him because there is a high-quality player in there, that’s for sure.