Benitez ‘disappointed’ with Everton fans and Richarlison
Rafael Benitez says he took Richarlison off in the 3-1 defeat to Palace due to injury, and wasn’t happy with the way in which the Brazilian trudged from the pitch.
Conor Gallagher scored a brace for Palace as they ended a run of three defeats on the bounce at Selhurst Park.
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It was deserved victory for the Eagles, and one that ramped up the pressure on Rafael Benitez.
And decisions made in the game, particularly the call to take off Richarlison on the hour mark, did not go down well with the travelling Everton fans.
Benitez told Sky Sports: “I can’t explain everything. Allan was not here because he had a little injury and so we needed to protect him.
“Richarlison has a problem with his calf. We knew at half-time and were thinking about changing him, but did not do it and would see how it was going on.
“We did not want him to get injured with so many games, and he was not affecting the game.
“You make the substitution because you know what is going on, but you cannot explain that all the time and I am disappointed that people did not realise and the player did not help with moving his arms (when being taken off).”
Benitez felt it was “a strange game”.
“They started well and then we adjusted our positions and we had more control, but when we had control, we made a mistake and conceded the first goal,” he said.
“At the start of the second half, it was another mistake from a corner and we concede the second goal.
“When you have chances and then mistakes at the other end, you cannot do that in the Premier League, making so many mistakes when you have to take your chances and allow the other team to take theirs.”
Meanwhile, Palace boss Patrick Vieira felt the “really special” atmosphere helped drive his team on.
“We found the energy to score the third goal and felt the support from the fans,” he said on Sky Sports. This is a really special football club and the fans make it special.”
On Conor Gallagher, the Palace boss added: “There is more to come from him. He will need to manage his strength and find out the best way to manage his energy.
“But for us he is a fantastic player to have, his work ethic is unbelievable. He gives everything to the team and he can score goals.
“We don’t think about what will happen in the future. We have him for a year and we are pleased to work with him. I think he is really happy with our players, which allows him to perform at this level.
“It is a win-win, so we will see what happens at the end of the season.”
