CRYSTAL Palace midfielder James McArthur has played down his incident with Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson on Saturday.
After the midfielder went in for a challenge, he tumbled over into Pearson inside his technical area, which prompted what appeared to be a stern response from the manager.
As Pearson helped McArthur up, the Scotsman looked to get back on the field of play only for the manager to hold him back and not let go.
Initially it looked playful but then turned slightly more serious. However, McArthur was adamant there was nothing in the incident and admitted Pearson's presence was a bit intimidating.
"These things happen in football - I've collided into him and he said it was only a joke, so I'll take it in that manner and we move on," said the former Wigan Athletic man.
"If it's on and off the field, it's going to get blown out of proportion but there's nothing in it on my part.
"I got a bit scared, to be honest! These thing happen and you see it quite a lot with managers and players throughout the game, so I'm not bothered by it."
By Mark Ritson (Twitter @MR_LWMedia)
