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Stoke boss Gary Rowett plays down Bradley Johnson ‘biting'

The Derby midfielder appeared to bite Joe Allen during the Potter’s ill-tempered 2-1 win over the Rams

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Liam Rosenior says the FA will definitely have to look at the potential biting incident following Peter Etebo's red card in Stoke's win over Derby

Stoke City boss Gary Rowett has played down allegations Derby midfielder Bradley Johnson bit one of his players during his side's 2-1 win at the bet365 stadium.

TV pictures appear to show Johnson biting Joe Allen during a melee after Stoke's Peter Etebo was sent off midway through the first half of the live Sky Sports clash.

But Stoke boss Gary Rowett insisted at full-time that they would not make any formal complaints.

He said: "Someone said originally that Bradley had bit Joe, but I think Joe said it wasn't too bad. Certainly we're not going to have any complaints.

"I spoke to the referee, saying it's not a problem and we don't want anything further to be looked at. To me, it was just part of a melee.

"Bradley is a great lad and a good professional and I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have been. Joe said it wasn't anything too serious. We won't be making any complaints."

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Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship clash between Stoke and Derby

Derby boss Frank Lampard was also keen to downplay the situation, particularly with Johnson already set to miss the Rams' next match due to the booking he picked up for the altercation.

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"I don't know, it's one to look back on but I certainly wasn't told Bradley bit anyone," Lampard said.

"I took him off as part of a tactical change, I haven't spoken to Bradley about it and to be honest they [Stoke City] were claiming a lot on the bench to be fair."

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