Higginbotham hits back after angry Wenger’s swipe at Delap

DANNY HIGGINBOTHAM has sprung to the defence of teammate Rory Delap after Stoke City’s long-throw specialist was accused of deliberately injuring Theo Walcott.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger pointed the finger at Delap after his foul resulted in Walcott being carried off on a stretcher near the end of last week’s clash at the Britannia Stadium.

Controversy has raged all week about Stoke’s tactics but Higginbotham is absolutely certain Delap had no intention to hurt the England star, who sustained shoulder damage after falling awkwardly.