The recently-promoted side had a big physical presence in the game, and trio Theo Walcot, Emmanuel Adebayor and Bacary Sagna sustained injuries as a result.

"For me, you need to have more courage to play football when you know somebody is tackling you from behind without any intention to play the ball, with only one intention to hurt you," Wenger was quoted as saying by Skysports.com.

The Frenchman blasted few Stoke players, assuring excessive force was unnecessary in the match.

"Do you really feel that Rory Delap tried to play the ball when he tackled Walcott or that Ryan Shawcross tried to play the ball when he tackled Adebayor off the pitch? All the players have been injured deliberately," he added.

"For me, the brave one is not the one who tackles from behind, but the player who tries to play football. That's the coward."

Recklessness

The gutted tactician referred his unpleasant experience at the Britannia Stadium is not a one-off, saying his players had suffered from opponents' impetuousness before.

Forward Eduardo Da Silva is yet to comeback since dislocating his ankle following a horrendous tackle by Birmingham's Martin Taylor last season.

"Do you want me to tell you the players we have lost here? Diaby, deliberate foul from behind, Rosicky, deliberate foul, Eduardo, deliberate foul. Now we lose Walcott, deliberate foul, and we have lost Sagna - deliberate foul on him," he said.

"There is only one intention when he is tackled and that is the ankle. And you want me on top of that to sit here and say, 'Yes, sorry we are not brave'?"