At the end of Sunday's Premier League meeting between the two London clubs (2-2), the 69-year-old former Reds midfielder and now a TV consultant, said: "It's again a man's sport, all of a sudden. I think we have found our football, the way I love it, with men giving in and the referee letting them do it".
The match, where only three players were sanctioned with a yellow card, was however marked by two heated altercations between coaches Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel, finally excluded after the final whistle.
Souness's comments sparked controversy, but the former Scottish midfielder, renowned for his rough style in the 70s and 80s, persisted on Talksport radio on Monday.
"I have been advocating for years that referees have such an important role to play in the success of the Premier League," said the man who also coached Liverpool between 1991 and 1994.
"We have to be careful what we say today and I wasn't very good at it, but we were becoming like the other leagues. My comments yesterday said we got our game back . It's the kind of football I remember playing," argued the three-time European Champion Clubs' Cup winner in 1978, 1981 and 1984.
The remarks made on Sunday by Souness had in particular angered English players, a few weeks after the coronation of the women's selection during the Euro organized at home.
Eni Aluko, former England international (102 caps) and consultant, tweeted "Football is football. Played by women, men, boys, girls. It's very simple".
Beth England, a member of the European champion team, said on her Twitter account: "It's a shameful thing to say after the summer this country has just had."
© 2022 AFP