Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has accused Stoke defenders of deliberately injuring Theo Walcott and Emmanuel Adebayor. Rory Delap and Ryan Shawcross were the players named by the Frenchman as responsible for the rash tackles in the Gunners 2-1 defeat at the Britannia Stadium.

Wenger said: "I read that my team were not brave. All I can say is they are brave and, for me, you need to have more courage to play football when you know that someone is tackling you from behind without any intention to play the ball.

"The only intention is to hurt you and I can show some tackles where I can prove what I say. The one who is tackling is not the brave one. For me the brave one is the player who is trying to play football.

"It happened at the weekend. Do you think Delap tried to play the ball when he tackled Walcott? Or that Shawcross tried to play the ball when he tackled Adebayor off the pitch. All the players have been injured deliberately.

"I am not ready to listen to things that are completely untrue and make people who are cowards, for me, look brave."