Peter crouch has issued an apology for injuring Nacho Monreal on Sunday during the Premier League game.

The 6’7” striker caught Monreal across the face with a flailing arm leaving the Spaniard needing staples to a cut.

Speaking to the Daily Star, Crouch said

“It was totally accidental and I have apologised to him.

“I did catch him with my arm, but I did not mean it at all.

“I have said sorry to him during the game and also afterwards as well.”

His apology comes after Marko Arnautovic also apologised for shoving Mathieu Debuchy which resulted in the full-back dislocating his shoulder and having to be stretchered off.

As I said on Monday in a piece for Metro, their apologies really mean little.

Stoke play in a manner that means opposition injuries are likely to result and regardless of their initial intentions, when you go in hard with the intention of letting an opposition player know you’re there, you must take responsibility for the end results.

Crouch has a habit of ‘catching’ players in the face, something that is often dismissed due to his size. It’s funny then that Per Mertesacker, just one inch shorter, doesn’t seem to have the same problem in keeping his elbows out of the faces of other players.

Some Stoke fans tried to point out to me this morning on Twitter that Arsenal have two red cards this season while their team has none, a clear sign, they think, that Arsenal are a dirtier team than Stoke.

But all that stat shows is the incompetence of referees this season and Stoke’s ability to get away with murder on the pitch.

Charlie Adam, anyone?

Charlie Adam chokehold Alexis Sanchez