Wenger maintains Wilshere’s tackle was merely mistimed, but knows full well there will be more than one or two who revel in some schadenfreude at his expense.

“No matter what we do, it is wrong,” Wenger said. “If we get kicked the whole game and do not reply, people say we are too soft.

“I don’t believe we are too soft. We showed that at Chelsea where we were not dominated physically at all. On the contrary, we dominated that game physically, so we are not too soft.

“I tell my players to play football. I can influence my players with the vision I have of the game, but I cannot influence what people say about us.

“If you respond every time to the judgement of others you go one day north, the next day south, then east, then west and players don’t know where you are going any more.

“So you try to focus on the way you want to play football.”

Wilshere immediately issued an apology for his “deserved” red card and maintains he will learn from the experience during a three-match ban.

“I don’t think Jack saw the player he was tackling,” Wenger added. “He just thought ’I lost the ball, there’s a minute to go, I must chase and win this ball back’, but he mistimed his tackle.

“He should not have done, but I don’t think there was any malicious intent. He didn’t want to injure the player.

“You have to make a difference between an accidental red card and a team who tries to kick you from the first to the last minute. There is no comparison.”

Wenger believes Wilshere will emerge stronger from the incident.

“Jack will learn from this. At 18, [Cesc] Fabregas also had impulsive reactions,” he added.

“He got a red card, which he deserved, but the player didn’t get injured.

“You must also say his maturity shows in the game, the influence he has on the game at 18 years old is something that should not be hidden by the fact that he got a red card.

“He is a beautiful player and he has the science of the game to be influential in the Premier League. We were all 18 (once).”

Wilshere was not the only player to court controversy, with Birmingham incensed by the ease with which Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh went down under the challenge of Scott Dann, allowing Samir Nasri to equalise from the penalty spot.

Wenger insisted: “Chamakh did not dive. I watched it again and in fairness the tackle touched him on his right foot.

“He went down and maybe made a bit more of it, but it looked to me a penalty and if he doesn’t get a penalty I think it is still a goal after.

“Chamakh was quite surprised that they responded like that because he thought it was 100% a penalty and I believe as well he does not always get 100% penalties.

“Who is the striker who doesn’t show that he has been fouled? Who makes more or less of it is difficult to determine.

“I feel we do not always get penalties with players because they show that it was a foul.”