Stoke City boss Mark Hughes is fed-up with criticism of their playing style ahead of facing Arsenal.

Hughes has accused people of being "lazy" for labelling his side as bullies every time they claim a stunning result.

"The last time we played them we played exceptionally well," said Hughes. "After the game some people used certain terms to explain why we beat Arsenal, such as intimidation and we bullied them out of the result, which wasn't the case at all.

"I would argue for the first 60 to 70 minutes of the game we were by far the best team on the pitch. We played them off the park. We were the team that played the best football by getting the ball down, passing and moving and creating chances.

"To describe us as bullies was the wrong word, a lazy term and an easy one to label us with. It's a term that goes back to bygone days when people had a different impression of us. There are other terms that could have illustrated how well we played on the day, such as competitive, and there is a difference.

"We are competitive as we look to get the ball down and play, and we have a plan A and plan B depending on the circumstances of the game. We can go more direct if we feel it's the right thing to do, but if we see weaknesses in teams then we will try and exploit them.

"We are a different side now with different qualities, and weapons I would suggest, and we can use them to good effect. If we get it right then on our day we are difficult to play against, which we have proven this year home and away."