Premier League: Leicester boss Nigel Pearson bemoans offside decision but takes positives from Man Utd defeat
Saturday 31 January 2015 19:45, UK
Nigel Pearson was disappointed that Robin van Persie's goal was allowed to stand in Manchester United's 3-1 win against Leicester
Van Persie appeared to stray offside as he latched on to Daley Blind’s pass for the opening goal at Old Trafford, but the flag stayed down as he fired Manchester United in front.
The hosts went on to score two more before the break, but Pearson’s side rallied to score in the second half and Pearson was encouraged by their display, despite his disappointment with the decision.
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"I thought we did pretty well up until they scored the first goal, which was offside,” he said.
“We kept our discipline pretty well, but the bottom line is we didn’t manage the ball well enough when we won it back and so consequently we were spending long periods without the ball
“When you concede that much possession to a side like Manchester United then it’s going to make it difficult.
“Second half you could argue that they eased back a bit, or you could argue that we managed the ball better ourselves, and dealt with their threats a lot better.
“We certainly did a better job and gave ourselves more of a chance, so mixed feelings today but we’ll move on now.”
Results
The Foxes next host Crystal Palace in a game which Pearson knows they will need to get something from given they are currently three points from safety.
When asked if games like the one against the Eagles will be key, he said: “That is going to be the case. Days like today are bonus games for you, in some ways. That’s why we picked a pretty offensive line-up, but we didn’t really get into any sort of a rhythm and didn’t show the quality.
“It’s going to be important (from) here on in against the sides around us that we get better results.”
Pearson’s men have let in 38 goals in the Premier League this season, and the Leicester boss is hoping to finalise a deal to bring in Stoke defender Robert Huth on loan, but apart from that he doesn’t expect any more business to be done before the transfer deadline.
He said: “Hopefully that one will be across the line pretty soon, but apart from that there’s nothing else to discuss.”
