Watch: Fabinho Tackles The World

Liverpool fans have been waiting (and increasingly less patiently) to both see a performance like last night, and see our new signing Fabinho.

Sure, it was “just Red Star,” but like in the same fixture last year against Maribor, Liverpool did well to put the group minnows to the sword. And Fabinho played a big part of that performance.

Prior to last night’s full 90 minutes, Fabinho had only racked up 123 minutes across all competitions for Liverpool this season (of which 87 minutes came against Chelsea in the League Cup). But at home, under the bright European lights, the Brazilian international midfielder was a stand-out performer, and strong contender for the man of the match.

Fabinho was aggressive throughout the match, frequently winning the ball back, and quickly getting counter-attacks started. He wasn’t just a midfield destroyer, but was constantly pushing forward in attack, both with driving runs and passes into space. On another night, he might have even tallied an assist or two.

There is an interesting parallel to last year’s similarly lopsided match against Maribor, when another new midfield signing, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, announced himself with his first goal for Liverpool. Hopefully, like with Ox, this is a sign that the lengthy bedding in is coming to a close, and Fabinho is ready to kick on and be a regular contributor to this Liverpool side.

You can see an every touch compilation below: