Fabinho reminisced about a moment from earlier this season that ‘shocked’ Liverpool teammate Luis Diaz. The Brazilian thoroughly enjoyed it.
Liverpool head to Wembley on Saturday where they’ll face Manchester City in an FA Cup semi-final. It’s a massive game at the home of English football – but not their first trip to Anfield South this season.
They were there in March, of course, to take on Chelsea in the EFL Cup Final. It was an intense game, to say the least, and one that went all the way to penalties. And what a shoot-out it was.
21 out of 22 penalties went in, with on Kepa Arrizablaga missing for Chelsea, and there were some incredible efforts. Virgil van Dijk was a personal favourite, with Kepa standing way over to his right only for the Dutchman to smash it there anyway before staring him down.
But the boldest penalty was pretty unquestionably Fabinho’s. The Brazilian held his nerve and delivered a Panenka, chipping it straight down the middle before heading back to the centre circle.
Incredibly, he’d planned it. Luis Diaz revealed after the game that Fabinho told him he’d try it if the opportunity came up. That it did.
“When it came off how it did, it just shows the class and quality of the player that he did it,” Diaz said at the time. “I was kind of shocked and surprised in a good way how it came about.”
Fabinho and his Panenka for Liverpool
Looking back at it, Fabinho says he ‘really enjoyed’ the moment – and he thinks the fans did, too.
“I enjoyed that moment!” he told Liverpoolfc.com. “In my mind I knew the game could go into penalties, so I was ready for this.
“I was prepared to take the pen like this. So when I was walking to take the ball, I was confident that the ball goes in. I did it and I really enjoyed it. I think the fans as well enjoyed it.”
We certainly enjoyed it – just ice cold from Fabinho. He’s one of the best penalty takers around but that was next level in front of 90,000 people and with a trophy on the line.
And who knows? Maybe he gets a chance to repeat it on Saturday.
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