"The decline is painful", "Fallen off a cliff" - Liverpool fans fear midfielder might be finished after 'horrific' cameo in 1-0 West Ham win

Liverpool fans weren't pleased with Fabinho's performance in their team's 1-0 win against West Ham United on Wednesday (October 19).

The Brazil international started the game on the bench, with manager Jurgen Klopp opting for Thiago Alcantara and Jordan Henderson to play in a double pivot. The pair did a good job in the opening hour of the game before Thiago was taken off for Fabinho.

Fabinho did not have a good time on the pitch and was constantly letting West Ham players get the better of him in one-on-one situations. He is known for being a near-impenetrable shield in defensive midfield since his days at AS Monaco. He left the Ligue 1 outfit to join the Reds in 2018 for a reported fee of about £44 million.

He continues to be a highly important part of Klopp's first-team set-up, having featured in all 15 of their games this season across competitions. However, his recent form has disappointed the Liverpool faithful.

The former Real Madrid player has often been beaten too easily and has failed to stop opposition attacks in its tracks like he used to before. Some fans were worried about the defensive midfielder going through a decline.

Here are some of the best reactions, as found on Twitter:

Klopp saw the return of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool's matchday squad after he recovered from a hamstring injury which he suffered in July. It remains to be seen if he gets a look in from Klopp in case the 4-4-2 formation continues in the near future.

This could be important in order to provide Fabinho with some much-needed competition and keep him on his toes. Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho, after all, are attack-minded and lack the defensive nous to play in a double pivot.

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Declan Rice says he feels 'sick' after losing to Liverpool

Declan Rice did not mince his words after the full-time whistle and said he felt sick after coming away from Anfield with nothing.

The Hammers had a penalty in the first half. Jarrod Bowen's attempt ended up being saved by the in-form Alisson Becker. They had more chances - most notably Tomas Soucek's saved shot in the dying embers of the game - but the scoreline stayed at 1-0.

Speaking after the game, Rice told the BBC (h/t Rousing The Kop):

"I feel sick, I honestly feel sick. We know it is [a] tough place to come, you have to show grit, heart and desire. There was enough in the second half to nick something from the game. We are showing signs we can compete with the big boys."

Liverpool are now seventh in the table with 16 points from 10 games while West Ham are 13th.