Leicester City pay for slow start against Sheffield Wednesday
Pearson is not a man who gives even a second thought to such nonsense, and it is a brave person who gives credence to the supposed curse by suggesting to the City boss that it had struck again after his side's eight-game unbeaten run came to an end.
Pearson was named the Championship manager of the month for February just before kick-off at Hillsborough, after his side had picked up 15 points from seven games in four weeks.
Paul Gallagher was also confirmed as the player of the month to complete a famous double for City.
Ironically, the January winner of the managers' award was stood just feet away from Pearson and, although Wednesday boss Alan Irvine may be a sceptic of the curse as well, a quick glance at his side's results since he received the award fuels the supernatural flames even further.
Irvine's side had lost four out of five games in February and the Owls went into this fixture on the back of a 5-0 thumping at Reading that had resulted in Wednesday slipping back into the Championship relegation zone.
Wednesday's burning desire to atone for the mayhem at the Madejski and City's tiring legs after a gruelling schedule may be a more logical and scientific explanation for this result, rather than the concept of any curse.
City had been outstanding during February and arrived at Hillsborough buoyant after their 3-0 victory over east Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest the week before.
However, they could not muster the same intensity and a brace from Leon Clarke condemned them to only their eighth league defeat of the season, and made sure of an unhappy return for Pearson to a club he served so superbly for seven years of his playing career.
Wednesday striker Clarke fired home an unstoppable strike into the roof of the net after just six minutes to give the hosts an advantage they would never relinquish. Darren Potter's ball into the box was not dealt with by the City defence and Tommy Miller helped the ball on to Clarke in acres of space, and he took one touch to steady himself before hammering his shot past Chris Weale.
City looked sluggish at the start but then began to take charge of the game, with Lloyd Dyer providing their best attacking threat. On several occasions he skinned Wednesday full-back Eddie Nolan before providing telling crosses and, from one such attack, Martyn Waghorn was unlucky with a superbly-executed volley that forced a wonderful one-handed save from keeper Lee Grant.
The only other attack of note from Wednesday came after half an hour and resulted in Weale having to be substituted.
Marcus Tudgay burst into the box and the City keeper came out to save bravely at the Wednesday striker's feet, but he paid a heavy price as he was forced off with blood pouring from a cut to his nose which required stitches.
On went Conrad Logan for his first appearance for City since 2007, and the Irishman did a decent job. He produced one excellent save at the start of the second half to push away a Johnson low drive, but he was helpless in the 61st minute when Johnson turned provider for Clarke with a low cross which his team-mate converted with consummate ease.
It was the killer blow for City, who had played some decent football in sporadic spells but had generally been out of sorts for most of the contest.
They did create another excellent chance to reduce the arrears six minutes later when captain Matt Oakley played in Dyer, who was City's best performer, and his goal-bound strike was again superbly saved by Grant.
Shortly afterwards, Pearson threw on Steve Howard and Yann Kermorgant in an attempt to force an opening, but it was not to be City's day. The positive for City was that the damage was limited and their six-point cushion in the play-off places was only reduced to four. Their destiny this season is still very much in their own hands.
But City cannot afford to get too ahead of themselves. There are still a dozen games to go and a lot can happen in that time. Their place in the play-offs is not assured, but it is there to be won.
They need to bounce back quickly now at home to Cardiff City and cut short any more talk of a manager-of-the-month curse.
Nigel Pearson
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