Arsenal have reacted angrily after midfielder Aaron Ramsey suffered a serious injury that echoed the broken leg sustained by team-mate Eduardo da Silva in 2008.

The Welshman appeared to have his lower leg broken in a tackle with Stoke City defender Ryan Shawcross, who was shown a red card by referee Peter Walton.

Shawcross left the field in tears, while players from both sides were visibly traumatised as medics administered emergency treatment and gave Ramsey oxygen.

The game was stopped for several minutes before Ramsey was stretchered into an ambulance and driven away from the Britannia Stadium.

Sky television decided not to show replays of the challenge because they considered the footage to be too upsetting.

Manager Arsene Wenger said the injury was a consequence of the excessively physical approach teams take against his side.

"I am not very happy with the tackle," he said.

"We have lost three players - (Abou) Diaby, Eduardo and Ramsey - for nine months or a year on horrendous tackles.

"I don't believe in coincidence when it happens as often as this."

Arsenal went on to win the game 3-1 with goals from Nicklas Bendtner, Cesc Fabregas and Thomas Vermaelen after Danny Pugh opened the scoring for Stoke.

Speaking after the game, Fabregas called for referees to stamp out on dangerous challenges, saying: "You could say we are not protected enough. I think so."

Croatian striker Eduardo missed nearly a year with a compound leg fracture following a tackle by Birmingham City's Martin Taylor in 2008. Diaby was injured after a challenge by Sunderland's Dan Smith two years earlier.