Video: Eagle-eyed viewers spot Messi appear to throw punch at Fabinho before netting stunning free-kick for Barcelona v Liverpool

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Barcelona captain Lionel Messi seemed to thrust his fist in the direction of Fabinho’s face as he won a free-kick against Liverpool on Wednesday night.

The Blaugrana won 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against the Reds at Camp Nou, thanks to a Messi double and a Luis Suarez goal.

The Argentine’s second was a thing of beauty, as he curled home a stunning 35-yard free-kick to break the hearts of Liverpool supporters and all but book Barca’s place in this year’s final.

However, some eagle-eyed viewers spotted Messi appearing to throw a punch at Fabinho beforehand, in an incident which saw him earn a decisive foul for the home side.

The 31-year-old netted from the resulting dead ball, much to the outrage of supporters on Twitter, with one fan writing: “Only Messi can punch a player, win a free kick and then proceed to score from 30 yards.”

Had the ‘punch’ been spotted by the referee, not only would the free-kick likely have been awarded to Liverpool instead of Barca, Messi might well have been facing the prospect of a yellow or red card for his actions.

On the other hand, the Barca talisman may have simply inadvertently thrown his arms up while colliding with Fabinho at pace, with no intention at all of causing any damage.

Take a look at a clip of the incident below and decide for yourself, while also checking out some more comments from disgruntled fans on social media.

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