Hull boss Steve Bruce has hit back at Stoke after a gory picture emerged of a bloody gash in Stephen Ireland's leg following a challenge by Tigers defender Maynor Figueroa, reports Sporting Life. He said: "Let me tell you, Stephen Ireland committed the worst challenge on the pitch on David Meyler. He shouldn't have been on the pitch if the referee had done his job. It was an awful challenge.
"I could show you a picture of Figueroa's ankle, he had five stitches in it and carried on. Nobody wants to see a cut or an injury as bad as Stephen Ireland had but unfortunately in football it happens.
"Everybody is wearing the boots called blades and the challenge on Ireland he's kicked the ball and followed through and unfortunately has caught his leg.
"At the time nobody went to the referee, he didn't award a free-kick - it wasn't a free-kick but one of those horrible ones where he's followed through and caught the boy on the calf rather than planted the boot on him."
