Mark Hughes refutes Wenger's claim that Stoke reverted to 'physical' ways

Mark Hughes wasn't in the mood for Arsene Wenger's accusations that Stoke City reverted back to its physical roots following his side's goalless draw with Arsenal.

Speaking with reporters after the final whistle, Hughes denounced Wenger's claim that Stoke played a "physical" and "direct" style during a heated affair at the Britannia that featured more highlight-reel saves than the bone-crunching tackles usually seen when Arsenal and Stoke meet.

"I've just heard Arsene say he was a bit surprised that we went direct," Hughes said. "I'm not quite sure what game he’s been watching, but there we go. I don’t think there was a yellow card. I don’t know why the physical aspect of the game has to be mentioned.

"We approached the game in the right manner, got the ball down and passed and moved and mixed things up. I thought it was a good football game with both teams trying to play and win a key Premier League game. That’s certainly what we were doing."

Hughes was correct in noting that neither side committed a challenge that the match official deemed worthy of a card. In fact, it was the first contest between the two that didn't feature a card since their meeting in January 2010.

Wenger likely wasn't able to get the December 2014 encounter out of his head. In that match, both teams went into the official's book a whopping eight times, with Arsenal receiving four cards, including a red.

The Arsenal boss, who previously labeled Stoke as a team that deploys "rugby tactics," acknowledged the growing animosity between the two teams and their respective supporters. On Sunday, Stoke fans were heard chanting "Aaron Ramsey walks with a limp," in reference to the fractured leg the Arsenal midfielder suffered thanks to a nasty tackle from Stoke's Ryan Shawcross in 2010, something that upset Wenger.

"When people get together sometimes they forget their individual responsibility," he said. "Maybe when you go home and watch it on television you are less proud."

Wenger added that he was unhappy with Stoke's tactics, but glad that his side was up to the task of matching the host's style.

"Overall it was a battle - an old fashioned Stoke battle because they made the game very physical," Wenger said.

"The crowd was up for it, the players were up for it. They went for a very direct game and we had to show a physical response, solidarity, fighting spirit, togetherness, which we did."