Former Manchester United man excelled for Cardiff City despite defeat.
A day before Manchester United defender Rafael da Silva was making the wrong sort of headlines by giving away a penalty against Liverpool, his twin brother showed him how it is done.
United sold Fabio da Silva in January, a player who started the 2011 Champions League Final, letting him join Cardiff City on a permanent basis.
He was unable to hold down a first team spot at United, mainly due to Patrice Evra, and a red card against Swansea City in the FA Cup early in the year sealed his fate.
Yet this weekend he illustrated his clear talent, with an all action display for Cardiff City.
No player in the Premier League on matchday 30 managed to win more tackles than the Brazilian, with Jon Flanagan equalling him – but losing more than the Cardiff man, who also spent less time on the pitch.
| Player | Team | Pos | Won Tackle | Total Tackle | Mins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fabio | Cardiff | DF | 8 | 9 | 77 |
| Jon Flanagan | Liverpool | DF | 8 | 11 | 90 |
| Marc Muniesa | Stoke | DF | 7 | 9 | 76 |
| Marcos Alonso | Sunderland | DF | 6 | 6 | 90 |
| Joe Allen | Liverpool | MF | 5 | 7 | 90 |
| Sylvain Distin | Everton | DF | 5 | 6 | 90 |
| Karim El Ahmadi | Aston Villa | MF | 5 | 7 | 90 |
| Glen Johnson | Liverpool | DF | 5 | 5 | 90 |
| Rafael | Man Utd | DF | 5 | 5 | 90 |
| Leandro Bacuna | Aston Villa | MF | 4 | 5 | 90 |
Fabio was replaced by United loanee Wilfried Zaha by Cardiff boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as part of a tactical reshuffle, and could only watch on from the bench as Everton netted a stoppage time winner.
Cardiff will need the defender to continue his committed approach if they are to survive relegation; he also impressed with 87 per cent pass accuracy, the highest of any player on the away side at Goodison.
With Evra expected to be off this summer at United, and doubts as to whether Alexander Butter will ever make it at the club – Fabio has the chance to go on and make David Moyes wish he let him go too soon.
With brother Rafael giving away the penalty at the weekend, and featuring below Fabio on the table above, perhaps United could have done with him instead at the weekend…
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