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Thomas Tuchel removed defender Andreas Christensen after a nightmare first 45 minutes against Arsenal in which his poorly hit back-pass gifted the Gunners' opener, but after the match the Chelsea manager said the decision was related to an injury.
The Blues brought on centre-back Thiago Silva in Christensen's place with the match tied 2-2 and went on to lose 4-2.
Christensen is out of contract this summer, and his rapid substitution could mark the end of his Blues tenure with just seven more matches to go after Wednesday's game.
Watch: Christensen's error gifts Arsenal opener
Tuchel explains substitution
"He said he cannot continue," Tuchel said. "He had some problems. I don't take a player out because he made one mistake."
The German head coach went on to blame the Stamford Bridge pitch for Arsenal's first goal.