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

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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