Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez played down the argument between Frank Lampard and David Luiz in Thursday's Europa League match at Rubin Kazan, an incident that hinted at internal discord heading into the season's climax.
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With an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City to come on Sunday and the fight for Champions League qualification hotting up, Benitez refused to question his players' passion for the cause and said it was a good thing to see them arguing on the pitch.
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Chelsea became England's last remaining representatives in Europe when they moved into the semi-finals of the Europa League despite a 3-2 defeat on the night as Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United both stumbled out.
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But their 5-4 aggregate win in Russia was marked by a heated exchange between Lampard and Luiz as the sides left the field at halftime with the argument played out in front of TV cameras.
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Lampard pointed accusingly at Luiz with the Brazil international taking exception and reacting angrily as the players trudged towards the tunnel.
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It was left to goalkeeper Petr Cech and playmaker Yossi Benayoun to play peacemakers, pushing their team mates apart.
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Benitez was adamant that nothing sinister was behind the confrontation and the players were simply voicing their opinions.
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"It's always good to have players arguing about things that happen on the pitch so you can correct these things at half-time," Benitez told reporters.
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"We were talking about that, adjusting positions, so it's fine. Not a problem."
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Chelsea never looked in any real danger of exiting the competition but the defensive issues that enabled Rubin to come out on top on the night gave the Spanish coach cause for concern ahead of Sunday's FA Cup clash with City.
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With centre back Gary Cahill and left back Ashley Cole out injured and Branislav Ivanovic left on the bench, the Russian outfit breached Chelsea's rearguard twice with simple crosses from the flanks.