After derby victory, Xhaka calls for more respect for Sunderland

Captain Granit Xhaka believes Sunderland is not getting the respect it deserves in the Premier League. The midfielder made the assessment after Sunderland’s big win over rivals Newcastle United. 
Sunderland won the fiery derby, known as the “Tyne-Wear”, 1-0 on Sunday, in the 16th round of the Premier League. 

Sunderland now have 26 points in seventh place. Crystal Palace and Liverpool also have 26 points. Chelsea are fourth with 28 points. 

Sunderland have shone in this part of the campaign. They also put in a big performance against regional rivals Newcastle, although the win at the “Stadium of Light” was decided by Nick Woltemade’s own goal early in the second half. 

Sunderland had also won 26 points after 16 rounds in the 2000/2001 season, when they finished in seventh place. 

In fact, the aim of the “Black Cats” is to remain in the English top flight, to which they returned after a long time away. 

Xhaka has become a driving force for the Sunderland team since joining from Bayer Leverkusen. And now one of the fans’ most beloved figures is asking for even more. 
“Derbies must be won no matter what,” Sunderland’s captain told “Sky Sports”. 

“This team deserves more respect because we are in a great league and we are working very hard. In the first half we controlled the game more and had the ball, but of course, that cannot happen for 90 minutes. The game changed after we scored. But we were good off the ball too. We deserved all three points, without a doubt”. 

The match featured more duels and fast-paced play than shots on goal. There were only 11 attempts on goal in total, the fewest in a league match since March 2023. 

But this is not very important for Sunderland. With Xhaka leading the midfield, Sunderland remain unbeaten in their last 10 Premier League matches against Newcastle. They have seven wins and three draws. 

Sunderland coach Regis Le Bris has been very proud of the players he leads. 

“I am proud and happy. It was a derby and our fans were expecting a win. It was a very well-deserved victory. We showed maturity and the boys were outstanding. The first half was very good tactically; we changed only a few details and it was a matter of efficiency in the final phase. We had control of the game and sometimes we showed more patience. But overall, we showed a good level of maturity and I am happy for the boys. This is also good for our fans. It is good for the region, the club, the fans. We knew beforehand that it was a special match, but we have to move on quickly because we have another tough match against Brighton next week, and let’s repeat the same success,” Le Bris said. 

Xhaka was highly rated for his performance in this encounter too. The BBC rated him as the best player in the match, with a score of 7.65. The fans chanted the Kosovan’s name at the end of the match.