Tony Pulis is afraid that referees could be swayed by Arsene Wenger's accusation that they deliberately set out to injure players, as he continued to defend his team from widespread criticism.

Yesterday, the Stoke City manager accused Wenger of rewriting history after the controversial 2-1 victory at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday and he has continued his staunch defence of his under-fire squad today, by claiming the Arsenal manager cannot accept defeat.

"We have to accept that if you beat certain teams they're not going to take it that well," Pulis said. "There are people who are good losers and there are people who are bad losers.

"The worry for me is that the perception of us being a dirty team will affect the judgment of referees."

Wenger's outburst was provoked by tackles from Stoke players that resulted in three Arsenal players suffering injuries. However, Pulis is now concerned that referees could alter their perception of his team after Wenger's comments and fears they could became labelled as a "dirty" team.

"I've rung Keith Hackett [referees' chief] and I'm waiting to speak to him," Pulis added. I'm hoping and praying that the perception of our football club and our team will not be one of being a dirty team.

"We played Man City away from home two weeks ago and didn't have one player booked. How people can say we're a dirty team. We're a very competitive team, and there's a difference between competitive and being dirty.

"I will never change that. We are what we are. We have to be competitive to survive at this level. Competitive and dirty are two different things."

Pulis dismissed suggestions that Stoke's style of play was stifling creativity in the game in England.

"It's not a netball game, it's a competitive game," he said. "Everyone likes that and everyone enjoys that in this country. I don't think we're stifling the talent.

"I watch Academy football on Sundays and our kids are encouraged to pass the ball and to play football and enjoy their football.

"You've got to be competitive. Football is a competitive game. It's a game of challenge, it's a team playing against a team."