Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew apologises for insulting Manchester City's Manuel Pellegrini in defeat Pellegrini shrugged off the insult after the game, claiming that he did not know what had been said, but he looked startled when he was told and went on to suggest Pardew thought he could get "an advantage if he always complained about decisions." "I hear that what I said has been picked up a bit and I apologise for my comments," said Pardew, whose side were pushing hard for a point when Alvaro Negredo scored City's second goal in stoppage time. It was a heat-of-the-moment thing, words that we always have as managers, to a degree. I've apologised to him and I'm fortunate that he's accepted them. I have apologised for using that particular word. You know, we always tease each other and have words. What he said to me is going to remain private, but it didn't merit my response, to be honest. I was frustrated today. And I think most Newcastle fans were, but I did not complain at every decision. The use of the particular swear word is common in English football, but the use of the adjective "old" in front of it made it even more insulting, particularly as the 60-year-old Pellegrini is only eight years older than Pardew. "I'm not surprised [by his behaviour]," was Pellegrini's restrained response. I know they are playing at home, and they have advantage in that sense, but it is impossible to complain about every decision, that is why I had a problem with Alan, but it is nothing important. Pardew had good reason to complain about the decision to rule out Newcastle's equaliser at the end of the first half. The Magpies had struggled early on, but had built up a head of steam and Tioté"s strike was a brilliant one. "I thought it was a clean goal, I didn't think there was any doubt," Pardew said. "My point was, did he think Gouffran was interfering with Joe Hart and he said "he was in the six-yard box." I get that, the guy was recovering from an offside position, but he didn't want anything to do with the play. He was not interfering with Joe Hart's vision. He said it got a deflection, which it didn't. If you're going to call a guy retreating from the offside position it has to be pretty clear that he's interfering with play. Neither the referee or the linesman could have been clear about that. City midfielder James Milner offered another view. "What Harty said was that, although he wasn't blocking his view of the ball, he was standing where he was going to dive," he said. So Harty couldn't really make a dive. Harty also said he wasn't sure if he would have got it anyway. There was more tension caused by a serious injury for Samir Nasri who was kicked on the side of his knee by fellow Frenchman Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa. "His injury is very serious," Pellegrini said. It was a very unfair kick from the Newcastle player. It was a red card. I don't understand why he was not sent off. It is a problem with his medial ligaments. Early indications were that the midfielder would be out for around a month.