Noni Madueke says he was only going to the toilet during the incident that has seen him criticised for disappearing down the tunnel after being substituted for Chelsea last weekend.
The winger clearly was not happy when he was withdrawn by Enzo Maresca in the 68th minute of the 1-1 draw with Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.
He walked straight down the tunnel and his manager later defended him, but it led to an angry response among some observers.
Rio Ferdinand posted on X: ‘It’s disrespectful to your team-mates.