The skipper was outstanding at Anfield, providing an assist for Lisandro Martinez's emphatic opener and playing with purpose and panache throughout, as the Reds picked up a point away too the runaway Premier League leaders.
Yet his post-match interview with Sky Sports spoke volumes about what the message needs to be in the wake of such a marked improvement on recent weeks.
Obviously, [we were] criticised and fairly because the position in the table says it all, that we lost too many points, even today," said Fernandes. "We can’t be happy with a draw because we need points more than they need points, to be honest.