Former Liverpool manager Graeme Souness says he does not regret calling football "a man's game" after Chelsea's explosive Premier League clash against Tottenham despite a furious reaction to his comments.
Souness said he was glad that referee Anthony Taylor allowed the players to engage in a series of aggressive tackles during the feisty 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel and his Tottenham counterpart Antonio Conte were both sent off after an angry exchange on the touchline.
Souness, 69, who was a tough-tackling midfielder, relished the physical nature of the London derby, saying: "It's a man's game all of a sudden again. "I think we've got our football back, as I would enjoy football, men at it, blow for blow, and the referee letting them get on with it." But the ex-Liverpool and Scotland player's views, expressed in his role as a television pundit, triggered a backlash from current and former female England players.