Aston Villa boss Unai Emery launched a passionate defence of Manchester United loanee Jadon Sancho after his horror cameo during their dramatic 4-3 victory over Sunderland on Sunday.
Disastrous return
Having been sidelined for a brief spell with a shoulder injury, Sancho finally made his return last week on Thursday, featuring for 16 minutes as Villa beat Bologna to advance to the semi-finals of the Europa League.
He was named on the bench once again against Sunderland and was brought on for the final 10 minutes as Villa led 3-1 and looked on course for a comfortable victory.
However, the United loanee was quickly stripped of the ball deep inside Villa’s half, which allowed Trai Hume to score and make it 3-2.
Just a minute later, Sancho gave possession away once more, this time enabling Wilson Isidor to race through on goal and bring the Black Cats level.
Fortunately for Villa, there was one final dramatic turn. Emi Martínez made a sensational save to deny Habib Diarra in stoppage time, before Villa broke the other way and Tammy Abraham netted a stunning late winner to restore the home side’s advantage.
During the time he was on the pitch, Sancho only completed 33% of the passes he attempted, while failing to make a tackle or win any duel.
Yet Emery stuck with the England international, even after his errors had nearly proven disastrous.
Emery defends Sancho
Asked about Sancho following the game, Emery interrupted a reporter mid-sentence, not allowing them to finish.
The Spanish coach said, “It is not his mistake. The mistake is how we did this action. If we did more passes, we could have avoided it.”
“The idea in 90 minutes was through good positioning and keeping possession, trying to be patient. When we conceded one goal, we decided to go quickly. I am never punishing it.”
Emery added, “After the ball we lost, the players didn’t respond well to protect the goals. We are going to analyse and find solutions for mistakes.”
“I am always taking responsibility for the mistakes, not the players.”
Sancho is set to leave United at the end of the season, once his contract expires. Villa are said to be open to keeping him. A return to Borussia Dortmund has also been mooted.
Featured image Eddie Keogh via Getty Images
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