Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka spotted in heated row with West Ham fan during loss at London Stadium

Sunderland have been one of the surprise packages of the season following their promotion from the Championship, having picked up 33 points from their first 23 Premier League matches. However, their most recent outing ended in defeat as they were seen off 3-1 by West Ham after goals from Crysencio Summerville, Jarrod Bowen and Mateus Fernandes, with Brian Brobbey later grabbing a consolation.

They were without Xhaka, who has been among the best players in the league so far this term, due to an ankle issue which is set to keep the Switzerland international out for at least two weeks. Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris revealed: “He has an ankle injury, so he'll need at least two weeks to recover and then we'll have another assessment to set the real period of rest, so we'll see.”

Xhaka was then sat with his team-mates when an argument with a West Ham fan broke out.

Xhaka appeared to converse with the home fans who were sat behind the Sunderland bench during the contest and then again at full-time. The game was briefly paused as more players and official became involved, with Xhaka seemingly provoked by some taunting from the West Ham supporters.

Le Bris didn't see what happened, saying: “The bench is too far from the sideline, I don’t know what happened.”

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo, meanwhile, added: “I was aware something was happening when the game was stopped. But I was just interested in asking the ref how many minutes would be added!”

Xhaka later posted a picture on his Instagram account alongside the caption: "Not on the pitch today, but always with the team. Trust the boys. I’ll be back soon."

It's not the first time Xhaka has been involved in a heated row with fans, having famously reacted angrily when he was booed off by Arsenal supporters back in 2019. The former Bayer Leverkusen star was said to have been abused on social media and the club stated he had reached a "boiling point".

He remained with the Gunners until 2023, joining Bayer Leverkusen and winning the 2023-24 Bundesliga title under Xabi Alonso.

Sunderland are 13 points above the relegation zone and look well set to book a second season back in the Premier League, though a strong end to the campaign is still needed. A tough-looking February begins with the visit of lowly Burnley before clashes with Arsenal and Liverpool. They also face Oxford United in the FA Cup before taking on Fulham and Bournemouth.

On the performance, Le Bris said: “Yeah, they were better than us in the first half, scored three times, could have scored more goals, better in duels, more composed and the ability to threaten our goal and to score, so they were better, yeah, I agree.

“We played more or less like that against Manchester City, for example, so with probably two more creative midfielders, but we used this set-up during the friendly games at the beginning of the season and I expected a good workflow. I think the team selection is not probably the main point, it's more about our level during this first half. We can talk about tactics, about the way we defended this side or this side, the way we attack or defend.

“It was a question of individual level and we were too far from our standards and when it's the case in this league, you get punished.”

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