Sunderland player does something ‘enraged’ Martin Keown’s never seen before
Martin Keown was less than impressed with one particular aspect of Sunderland’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal.
Sunderland halted the Premier League leaders’ momentum at the Stadium of Light with a thrilling end to proceedings on 8 November.
A spectacular Brian Brobbey acrobatic effort ensured that Sunderland walked away with a well-deserved point, to continue their positive start to the season.
Gunners legend Keown was aghast at what happened to his former club and has revealed that his fury was mixed with respect.
Granit Xhaka leaves Martin Keown stunned after Sunderland exploits vs Arsenal
Granit Xhaka has been a revelation since signing for Sunderland, and is often heralded as the reason why they are doing so well.
Keown admitted that he was enraged by the referee’s decision to book Martin Zubimendi for the free-kick that led to the opening goal, but respected what he witnessed from the new Mackems star.
Speaking on talkSPORT on 10 November, he said: “They went with a very physical approach and the referee let a lot of it go.
The first booking of the match was against an Arsenal player, which was contentious, it depends what side of the fence you’re sitting on, but I was obviously enraged by that as an Arsenal man.
“But I respected what Sunderland tried to do, they don’t just want to pass the ball out from the back, which they can do at times, when Granit tells them to – he is there to tell everyone what to do. I’ve not seen anything like that before. He has to stay fit. If he doesn’t, they slip down the table.”
Keown’s verdict is harsh, but it is probably true for Sunderland
Xhaka is by far the most experienced player in Regis Le Bris‘ squad when it comes to playing at the top level, as shown by the numbers below.
- Xhaka has 236 appearances in the Premier League
- Arthur Masuaku is next on the list for the Mackems with 108
- The rest of the squad have 284 games in the competition between them
Therefore, Keown’s verdict that if he gets injured, it all falls apart for the Black Cats, while harsh, is probably true.
They need him to be available as much as possible, because he is such a difference maker, in terms of both leadership and what he can do with the ball at his feet, the former shown against the Gunners and the latter when he scored the deflected equaliser against Everton.
If Xhaha can stay fit, then the Mackems should be comfortably safe, and it will prove to be a masterclass of a signing from the newly-promoted side.
It may even be the signing of the season, from any club in the division, if Le Bris’ side can stay in the division.
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