Liverpool scraped past Inter and into the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday and they have Fabinho to thank. The Brazilian was outstanding.
Liverpool only just made it beyond Inter this week, despite their 2-0 lead from the first leg. The Reds suffered a 1-0 defeat at Anfield – their first in over a year – but the aggregate score saw them through.
And in truth, it could have been even closer. Alexis Sanchez’s red card immediately after Inter’s goal killed their momentum and may have saved the Reds. This was a game in which no one could take their chances for Liverpool, with Joel Matip, Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz all performing near-misses.
Fortunately, Liverpool were able to keep things pretty tight at the back. Inter pressed hard in this one, looking to push through the middle on the counter with Sanchez and Lautaro Martinez.
But they ran into a roadblock.
Fabinho stars for Liverpool vs Inter
Jurgen Klopp labelled Fabinho ‘absolutely incredible’ last year and suggested that he’s the best holding midfielder in the world. You need only watch Liverpool vs Inter to see why he believes that.
Fabinho was world-class here, breaking up play and keeping the Reds in possession whenever he can. Fabinho’s 86 touches were by far the highest outside of the back four and he completed 96% of his passes. You can’t ask for more on a big European night.
Defensively, too, Fabinho was what you expect from a player as good as him. Liverpool only completed eight tackles as a team but three of them came from Fabinho – the only three he attempted, in fact. That 100% success rate is elite and no one else in Red managed it.
On top of that, Fabinho completed three interceptions. That was more than anyone else in the game and half of Liverpool’s total. The Brazilian was a wall in front of the Reds’ defence and a huge reason why Inter didn’t create more.
And with things as tight as they were, Fabinho saved Liverpool from embarrassment.
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