It had been 126 days since Federico Chiesa last started for Liverpool. The Italian registered an assist on his full Reds debut against West Ham United back on September 25, but that remained his last involvement for Arne Slot’s side for three months because of injury and illness before his return to action last month.

Liverpool have had to be patient with Chiesa, with it proving to be a frustratingly slow process for supporters to see the Reds’ solitary summer signing in action. But now the club’s careful treatment is paying off.

With 12 senior players left at home for the final Champions League league game away at PSV Eindhoven, the forward was always well placed to make only his second Liverpool start.

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And as was the case against the Hammers back in September, he was again involved for the Reds on the goalscoring front. It was Chiesa who was brought down by Joey Veerman, gifting Cody Gakpo the chance to open the scoring against his former club from the penalty spot.

And it was Chiesa’s thunderous strike saved by Walter Benitez that presented Harvey Elliott with a simple tap-in to score the rebound and put Liverpool back in front..

One of the game's liveliest performers, the former Juventus star continued his recent trend since coming back into the side last month. He is dangerous in front of goal, with his tricky feet and venomous strike already becoming a familiar sight in his limited outings so far.

Chiesa is making a growing impact when selected. Opening his account against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup, he played a part in both goals in the 2-0 win over Brentford before doing so again against PSV.

Alas, this time Chiesa was on the losing side for the first time in his Reds career as they fell to a 3-2 defeat. But as Slot said pre-match, the result hardly mattered with Liverpool already guaranteed a top-two finish.

Instead, it was an opportunity for the likes of Chiesa to get some well-needed minutes and stake their claim. A full 90 minutes for the Italy international, who started on the right-wing before later switching to the left, was a welcome sight as he continued to show what he is capable of.

His two shots on target, both pushed away by Benitez, and three successful dribbles were the most completed by any player at the Philips Stadion. He also completed the most successful tackles (four) too, demonstrating a willingness to press and win back possession.

You won’t expect him to realistically stand a chance of taking Mohamed Salah’s place in Slot’s starting XI this season. But after months in the stands and weeks on the bench, Chiesa is now a genuine option for Slot and Liverpool.

Elliott stakes his claim after Slot challenge

Elliott will have been the only Liverpool player disappointed to see them awarded a penalty against PSV. As referee Tobias Stieler blew his whistle and pointed to the spot, the midfielder was in the process of finding the bottom corner with a fierce strike from the edge of the box.

Goalkeeper Benitez can argue he had stopped in response to the whistle, but he would have struggled to keep out the strike regardless.

Elliott did not have to wait long to get on the scoresheet, though, reacting quickest to convert the rebound from Chiesa’s strike 12 minutes later to make it goals in back-to-back Champions League matches.

The 21-year-old now has two goals and an assist from his last four appearances. Making only his third start of the campaign, like with Chiesa, this was a vital 90 minutes under his belt. And coming in his favoured number 10 position made it all the more important.

When asked what Elliott needed to do to start more often last week, Slot replied he needed to ‘keep bringing performances’. Against PSV, in the absence of both Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai, he did exactly that.

Yes, the result will grind - even considering the shadow squad. But Slot’s selections against PSV were not about facing the Dutch outfit - rather the bigger fish left to fry.

And Elliott has again proven why his impact will surely continue to grow during the second half of the season.

Mixed night for the kids

With 12 senior players left at home, Slot was always going to turn to the Academy at PSV. And in truth, it was a mixed bag for Liverpool’s young stars.

James McConnell excelled in midfield, selected to start ahead of Tyler Morton. With his fellow midfielder hinting at a January exit earlier this month, McConnell is more than capable of filling the void. Should he not depart on loan himself, it will be no surprise if he has instead played himself into contention for a place in Slot's squad for the second half of the season.

Jayden Danns is another who could still leave on loan before Monday’s transfer deadline. Handed his full Liverpool debut, the striker became the youngest player to make his first start for Liverpool in a Champions League game, beating Martin Kelly’s record after the defender made his debut against Olympique Lyonnais in October 2009.

In truth, it was a difficult night for the 19-year-old. Kicked throughout, he failed to record a shot on target before being withdrawn in the 83rd minute.

Trey Nyoni came off the bench to break Phil Charnock’s record and become the club’s youngest-ever player in European competition at 17 years and 213 days.

Meanwhile, centre-back Amara Nallo can perhaps feel hard done by after his Liverpool debut was ended after less than three minutes as he was dismissed for denial of a goalscoring opportunity. Becoming the youngest player to ever be sent off for the Reds, he will no doubt have mixed feelings on what should have been a night to remember.

The last time the Reds travelled to PSV, they won 3-1 in December 2008 to top their Champions League group as Rafa Benitez named a much-changed side. In amongst the changes, academy youngsters Kelly and Jay Spearing both made their debuts for the club off the bench.

The pair would go on to make 62 and 55 appearances for the club, and were League Cup winners in 2012, before their careers took soon them elsewhere.

These maiden Champions League outings were a big step for each of the latest academy starlets, but they are not the finished articles yet.

With Spearing now a well-established player-academy coach at Kirkby, they have the perfect role model and reminder of the hard work that still needs to be done as they continue the formative stages of their Liverpool journeys.