Liverpool star Fabinho stood out as Liverpool beat AC Milan 3-2 in the UEFA Champions League. The Brazilian dominated midfield.
Jurgen Klopp took some chances with his lineup against AC Milan. He left out Virgil van Dijk – a very rare occurrence – and started Divock Origi up top. The Belgian hasn’t even been making matchday squad this season.
But he didn’t mess with midfield. Fabinho and Jordan Henderson both started, as expected, with Naby Keita alongside them.
Henderson inevitably made the headlines with his wonderful winner but we want to highlight Fabinho. The Brazilian looked like the best holding midfielder in the world against Milan.
Fabinho vs Milan
With Keita and Henderson bombing on, the onus was on Fabinho to stop counterattacks. And that he did. The Brazilian made four interceptions in the game – a match-high.
But it was his tackling where Fabinho really shone against Milan. He won six – only Davide Calabria matched or bettered that – from seven attempts. It means Fabinho was only dribbled once, which is a phenomenal rate when committing to that number of tackles.
He was more than just a defensive shield, though. Fabinho’s passing was top drawer as he completed more than any other midfielder. He also managed to create two chances for teammates – joint-third in the game.
All in all, this was a fantastic performance. Fabinho did his job to virtual perfection and in an intense, high-stakes game. Liverpool needed this win if they’re to have a proper chance of progression and Fabinho helped provide that.
We’d have to put him down as one of the best in the world on this form. Arguably the best in the world in his position, in fact, as only really Casemiro can match him in his form.
Fabinho is unquestionably a superstar and deserves his plaudits today after dominating Milan.
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