Mark Hughes has accused Steve Bruce of trying to ‘ defend the indefensible ’ over Maynor Figueroa ’ s tackle on Stephen Ireland that left the Stoke City midfielder with a deep gash in his calf . The Hull City manager responded to Hughes ’ anger at the incident by insisting Ireland should already have been sent off following ‘ the worst challenge on the pitch ’ on David Meyler at the Britannia Stadium . A picture of Ireland ’ s bloody leg was revealed in the aftermath of the match but Bruce said : ‘ I could show you a picture of Figueroa 's ankle , he had five stitches in it and carried on. ’ Ireland ( left ) sustained a deep gash on his leg after a challenge from Hull 's Maynor Figueroa . Referee Neil Swarbrick did not give a free kick for the challenge that left Ireland with a gash in his leg . The challenge left a wound on Ireland 's leg that Stoke boss Mark Hughes said needed 12 to 15 stitches . That has angered Hughes , his former Manchester United team-mate . ‘ Steve has fallen into the trap of trying to defend the indefensible , ’ said Hughes . ‘ Everyone has seen the two challenges and I do n't think there is any sort of comparison whatsoever . ‘ The outcome is there for everyone to see so I do n't think Steve did himself too much credit with his observation . ‘ It 's fairly easily to defend things - and I do it too - but on this occasion it was not as if the lad would be suspended . So why did Steve not just say , “ It was a terrible tackle ” ? 'We 're trying to move on but Steve did not need to do that . He did not need to say that . To defend that is incorrect. ’ Stoke boss Mark Hughes has accused Hull City counterpart Steve Bruce of trying to 'defend the indefensible ' Hull boss Bruce queried why Stephen Ireland was on the pitch after his challenge on David Meyler . Hughes added : ‘ It looks likely Stephen is unavailable for two to three weeks . ‘ Most people now have seen the picture and he ’ s had internal stitches as well as external , so it takes a little bit longer than a straightforward gash . ‘ I ’ m disappointed as he was doing really well , filling the gap for Bojan . ’
Stephen Ireland forced off after Maynor Figueroa tackle on Saturday . Hull City defender scraped studs down back of Ireland 's calf in defeat . Steve Bruce claims Ireland should have been sent off earlier in the game . Mark Hughes angered by Bruce and says he should accept Figueroa 's error . Comment: