Liam Rosenior has defended his decision to sit Robert Sanchez for Chelsea’s match against Aston Villa, claiming that competition, not blame, prompted the selection.

Filip Jorgensen was given the start at Villa Park after Sanchez’s blunder contributed to Arsenal’s defeat on Sunday. The Spaniard mishandled a corner, allowing Jurrien Timber to score the winner at the Emirates.

Rosenior stated his position clearly prior to kickoff.

“He’s played very good in training. The way I work with goalkeepers, I don’t have an outright number one. I want competition in every area. He’s been waiting very patiently for his chance. Now I’ve given it to him this evening.”

Despite the costly error, Rosenior dismissed claims that Sanchez was exclusively responsible for the loss.

“I don’t want to single out players,” he said. “It’s about the functionality of the team. The reason we lost the game was we didn’t take care of the moments. Nothing to do with Rob’s build, nothing to do with the way that we played.”

The Chelsea manager highlighted structural performance over individual faults, pointing out that his team performed well for long stretches against top-tier opponents.

Looking ahead to Aston Villa, one of the league’s most efficient long-range scoring teams, Rosenior recognised the magnitude of the task.

“The reason they score great goals is because they have great attacking players,” he said. “Our players know the strengths and weaknesses of each individual we’re up against. It’s going to be a very difficult game.”

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