Everton’s Benitez on his decision to take off ‘injured’ Richarlison

After

were 1-0 down against

, the away fans showed their frustration to their manager when

Rafa Benitez

called a double substitution before the hour mark, placing

Salomon Rondon

and Anthony Gordon as Fabian Delph and

Richarlison

’s replacement. Everton lost the match 3-1, with Rondon finding the back of the net after climbing off the bench.

Richarlison, who met the back of the net in their 2-1 victory over

in their last fixture, was extremely frustrated to be substituted off by the boss.

The club manager tried to console him by putting his arm around in on the touchline, which did not improve the Brazil international’s mood.

When asked to explain his decision, Benitez said that there was a calf problem and the Brazilian knew at half-time that he might be replaced to be protected ahead of their hectic schedule.

"

Richarlison has a problem in his calf, we knew that at half-time,"

Benitez told 

Sky Sports

.

"We were thinking about changing him but we didn't do it as we gave him five minutes to see how he was. We didn't want him to get injured with so many games and he was not affecting the game, so you make the substitution as you know what is going on.

"But you can't explain that all the time. I'm disappointed that the people don't realise that you make the substitutions and they go well, as Rondon was a key player for us with the way he held the ball. Richarlison wasn't helping when he was moving his arms, when he knew at half-time we were going to give him five minutes to see how he was.

"He said at half-time, 'give me five minutes and we'll see how I'm getting on' - I can't explain that to every fan what is going on."

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