Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca says Jadon Sancho half-time substitution against Liverpool was purely tactical.
The England international started the game at Anfield but struggled to make an impact, with an intriguing incident in which he went down in the penalty area after a minor challenge on Trent Alexander-Arnold, with referee John Brooks dismissing the foul as did the VAR officials.
The poor form saw Sancho substituted at half-time with Pedro Neto coming on, with speculation suggesting it was a physical issue, but Maresca has revealed the reason for his decision.
“Tactics” Maresca gave a brief answer to the media when asked about the decision to change Sancho after the first 45 minutes, which ended with the team losing 1-2.
“We don’t like to lose, but if you have to choose the way then this is the way you like to drop points. To come here in this stadium, against this team, I really liked the performance.
“Probably we deserved something more. The performance was good. I think we controlled most of the game, we had chances, we had possession in their half. It doesn’t happen times that you see Liverpool in their [own half] for a long time.
“Overall, the team was breave on and off the ball and I think this is the right way.
Next up, Chelsea travel to Panathinaikos in the โปรโมชั่น ufabet Europa Conference League on Thursday, before hosting Newcastle in the Premier League on Sunday.