Roberto Mancini refused to explain what caused him to shove Mario Balotelli down the tunnel, after yesterday’s frustrating 1-1 draw at home to Arsenal, The Daily Express reports.

The only indication is that Balotelli was reportedly angry at only being allowed five minutes of game time at the end of the match, causing him to gesture in the direction of his manager. Mancini then responded by pushing him into the tunnel.

City took the lead in the match through Joleon Lescott, but conceded an equaliser inside the final ten minutes as Laurent Koscielny fired the Gunners level.

The 22-year-old was then sent on by the home side in a desperate attempt to re-claim the lead, something which the player was clearly unhappy about.

Mancini said: “I don’t remember what happened but it is not important.

“We should have held on to our lead but this has been a problem for us lately.”

Understandably, the City boss was more focused on the team’s collective errors that have underlined the reigning champions’ unconvincing start to the season- winning just two of their six matches in all competitions so far.

“We were too deep and invited trouble. Also, we don’t score when we have the chance to close the game,” he added.