‘See you outside!’ – West Ham fan reveals cause of heated argument with Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka and midfielder’s response to verbal confrontation

Just under a week after their dramatic late win at Tottenham, West Ham breathed new life into their bid to stave off relegation to the Championship with a convincing victory against Sunderland. They are now just two points behind 17th-placed Nottingham Forest after looking dead and buried just a week ago. Following the victory, West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo was full of praise for his players, who raced into a 3-0 lead, before conceding late on.

He told BBC Match of the Day: “We played good, I’m always positive that things can improve, but clearly the connections, combinations, knowledge of each other as players are starting to happen. Things we are doing on the training ground are starting to be reflected on the pitch, and for me that is a joy. The mental side [is important]. We have to keep the momentum, we came from a good win. It was important to start the game this way with the same energy. The boys did it, we had a very good first half. We improved a lot in terms of managing the game, the tempo in the second half, knowing that Sunderland would react. We defended well, managed the time well, the possession, try to keep some threat in our attack. Overall, it was a good performance. The fans are giving back what we are asking, they support, sing, and today I think they are happy.”