Former Arsenal head coach Arsene Wenger said Fabinho cheated to get Alexis Sanchez sent off as Liverpool lost to Inter Milan, but still progressed to the next stage of the Champions League.
Inter were looking to overcome a 2-0 defeat in the first leg of the last 16 clash and things were going well when Lautaro Martinez scored the first goal of the match on the hour mark.
But, joy turned to despair in only a matter of two minutes as Sanchez was given a second yellow card for a challenge on Fabinho.
The former Manchester United and Arsenal star got the ball but caught the Brazilian with the follow through, causing the referee to send him off after a terrible challenge on Thiago Alcantara earned him his first booking.
While there was no question that the Chilean made contact with the Brazilian, Wenger felt Fabinho made the most of it.
‘He rode the line between cheating and being clever,’ Wenger told beIN Sports. ‘Fabinho on this foul he was on the other side, he was cheating, he made more of it.
‘Maybe he had pain and he was touched by Sanchez. You cannot say it was completely fake. But maybe he could have got up quicker.
‘It’s one of these fouls…when it’s one of your players, you say it’s clever. ‘When you are completely neutral, like we are supposed to be, you would say he could have made less of it, but he touched him well, you cannot say he faked it.
‘But he didn’t want to hurt him, he played first the ball.’
Rio Ferdinand, in the BT Studio for the match, felt the second booking was harsh on Sanchez because he got the ball first.
‘I think he’s won the ball. You’re telling me he shouldn’t go to win that ball?’ Ferdinand asked.
‘It’s stupid that he’s given the ref an opportunity to make a decision. But I still think it’s harsh to give a yellow card. It’s a foul in today’s game, but I think it’s harsh to give a yellow card.’
