"Sancho had played 60 minutes in a Europa League match on Thursday, and was still getting back to full fitness," Emery said. "I had planned to play him in the second half, but when Buendia got injured, I decided to bring him in as soon as possible to get him some playing time and help him regain his fitness."

Emery stated that his decision to substitute Sancho was part of a pre-planned strategy, which also involved bringing on other players like Morgan Rogers and Emi Buendia. He emphasized that it was not a punishment, but rather a deliberate decision to manage the game and give other players opportunities.

Sancho is currently on loan at Aston Villa from Manchester United, where his contract is set to expire next summer.