Here is your Liverpool morning digest for Wednesday, January 27.
Elliott exceeds high expectations
Harvey Elliott has certainly been catching the eye on loan at Blackburn Rovers.
The Liverpool youngster has eight assists to his name for the Championship club this season, with four coming in his last five games.
The ECHO spoke to Jaquob Crooke, Blackburn Rovers reporter for Lancs Live, to get the lowdown on his how good Elliott has been this term.
"He's been performing extremely well!" says Jaquob. "Expectations were pretty high upon his arrival but he's exceeded those.
"His abilities have been a vital asset to this Blackburn team but it's his maturity and professionalism that stands out above all else.
"His passing range is sublime - whether it be short or long - and he possesses the vision to predict situations and spot the run of a team-mate that not many other members of the squad would be able to see.
"And from a defensive perspective, we're seeing increased contributions as the season progresses."
Premier League rule change
The Premier League has confirmed that additional guidance has been added around the offside rule following Bernardo Silva’s goal for Manchester City last week.
Pep Guardiola’s side extended their advantage over Liverpool to four points with a 2-0 win over Aston Villa at the Etihad on Wednesday night,
However, City’s opening goal from Silva caused a stir around the footballing world, due to an apparent offside in the build-up involving Rodri.
At the time, the Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) said the goal had been allowed as: “A player in an offside position receiving the ball from an opponent who deliberately plays the ball, including by deliberate handball, is not considered to have gained an advantage, unless it was a deliberate save by any opponent.”
But now following discussions between the PGMOL, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) and UEFA, the IFAB have provided clarification, emphasising what should be prioritised when interpreting similar situations in the future.
Uncharted territory
“Liverpool are entering uncharted territory,” writes Theo Squires.
“Or rather, uncharted territory for the majority of their Premier League-winning mentality monsters. But waters FSG and Reds fans know all too well and thought they’d seen the back of.
“Having witnessed Jurgen Klopp ’s side storm to title glory, winning the league by a whopping 18 points, it has made a nice change seeing a completely different title race this time around.
“Or at least it did when Liverpool were still atop the table.
Now, after the most punishing of months on the field, they have seen their title hopes unravel unexpectedly before their very eyes. And things could be about to get a whole lot worse.
“Such is the congested nature of the table this season, aided by an over-populated fixture list in a truncated campaign, the Reds could find themselves as low as seventh in the table on Thursday night should they lose to Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur in the capital.”
