When the sustain pedal is depressed, the dampers lift from the strings. Notes already played continue to vibrate, and other strings may resonate in sympathy. The pedal can certainly bridge a gap between two notes that the fingers have not physically joined, but an unbroken sound is not the same as a legato melodic line. The pedal sustains a field of sound; the fingers still control when one voice releases, how the next note begins, and whether an unintended accent appears.
Imagine a slow melody in the right hand while the left hand changes harmony on each beat. Keeping the pedal down may conceal a small gap in the melody, but it also carries the old harmony into the new one. The melody seems continuous while harmonic boundaries become blurred and the phrase loses its breathing. Practising the finger connection without pedal first, then adding pedal changes that follow the harmony, lets the ear distinguish colour from camouflage.
This does not mean that every legato line must be joined entirely by the fingers. Wide intervals, repeated notes and particular colours may require help from the pedal, and historical instruments and style also affect the choice. The narrower point is that fingers and pedal perform different jobs. They should not be treated as equivalent merely because the final sound appears connected.
If you use <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/scoreflow/id6796205656">ScoreFlow</a> to organise practice, compare the same phrase without and with pedal so the listening difference remains part of the work, rather than recording only whether you reached the end.
Sources: https://www.britannica.com/art/piano-musical-instrument; https://hub.yamaha.com/pianos/p-acoustic/three-pedals-of-the-piano/
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