Michael Owen claims Fabinho injury ‘was his own fault’ in Liverpool win over Aston Villa

Michael Owen has blamed Fabinho for the injury he sustained in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Aston Villa on Tuesday.

The Reds came back from an early Douglas Luiz opener to climb to the top of the Premier League table, with goals from Joel Matip and Sadio Mane keeping the title race alive.

But the Brazilian’s first-half injury overshadowed much of the positivity, with eyes now firmly on Wembley and a first FA Cup final since 2012.

And former Liverpool striker Michael Owen blamed Fabinho for his own injury, after the midfielder’s loose first touch forced him to chase down Phillipe Coutinho before going to ground.

“It’s a big one, one of the first names on the team sheet.” Owen said.

“You know what, it was his own fault in a way. It was a really poor first touch which made him chase the ball back. Look at his left hand hold his left hamstring.”

Fabinho was replaced by Jordan Henderson on the half-hour mark and now faces a race against time to be fit for Saturday’s trip to Wembley.

Klopp sweating but Fabinho ‘positive’

With the FA Cup final now four days away, Reds fans and their manager will likely be sweating on the Fabinho’s recovery.

The 28-year-old has become a vital cog in a perfectly balanced midfield, acting as the perfect counterweight to Thiago’s elegance and the box-to-box energy of Naby Keita or Jordan Henderson.

And it is only two weeks on from the FA Cup final that they face Real Madrid in Paris for the Champions League trophy.

Any significant muscular injury is likely to end a season at this point but, as reported earlier, Fabinho is ‘quite positive’ about the injury according to Klopp.

“I don’t know [how bad it is]. He felt the muscle, not too much.” Klopp said after the Aston Villa game.

“He is quite positive but I’m not sure what I can make of that, to be honest. We will see.

“He has a good feeling and that gives me a better feeling than I had and I took him off. What that means, I don’t know yet.”

The Reds manager will be able to give a more accurate update on the Brazilian when he speaks to the press prior to Saturday’s FA Cup final.