Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger accused Stoke City's players of attempting to deliberately injure his men, furiously denying suggestions the Gunners had simply been outfought in their 2-1 loss.
"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," he said.
"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 (Rory) 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."
Football Association disciplinary chiefs are yet to decide if Wenger's comments amount to bringing the game into disrepute, although a decision on whether to charge the Frenchman could be made as early as today.
Stoke manager Tony Pulis this morning hit back at Wenger, claiming he was guilty of a u-turn after initially accepting defeat graciously in the immediate aftermath of a match in which Gunners striker Robin van Persie was the only man to be sent off.
"In Stoke-on-Trent on Saturday evening, Mr Wenger talked openly about Arsenal's encounter with Stoke as being a 'typical English encounter'," Pulis told www.stokecityfc.co.uk.
"He commended my team's organization, my team's commitment and confessed that on the day Stoke City thoroughly deserved to win the game. Very open and very honest.
"In London 48 hours later and 150 miles away from Stoke-on-Trent, Mr Wenger changed tack and has tried to rewrite history.
"Remember there was only one red card on Saturday and the last time I watched the game it certainly was not a Stoke City player who received it."
Pulis insisted there was no way his players would deliberately set out to injure opponents.
"As for Rory Delap's challenges on Theo Walcott and Bacary Sagna, Rory is as honest and committed as they come," he added.
"They were free-kicks, but Rory would never purposely go out to injure a fellow professional, it's just not in Rory's nature.
"Further, as I recall the game, Emmanuel Adebayor was booked for a chest-high challenge on Ryan Shawcross."
Arsenal will be without key striker Emmanuel Adebayor for three weeks due to the ankle injury he picked up in Saturday's controversial defeat at Stoke.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has confirmed the news, which will no doubt compound his fury at what he believed were the strong-arm tactics used against his players at the Britannia Stadium.
Adebayor sustained his injury in a heavy tackle by Potters defender Ryan Shawcross, while winger Theo Walcott (shoulder) and right-back Bacary Sagna (ankle) were also hurt during the clash.
Captain William Gallas, who has been out since the 4-4 draw with Tottenham with a hamstring problem, could, however, return for tonight's Champions League group game against Fenerbahce.
"Adebayor will be three weeks," Wenger said.
"Walcott could be days or weeks. It is the shoulder he had the surgery on. We don't know about Gallas yet but Sagna will be back in the squad."
