Granit Xhaka issues clear verdict on Sunderland's draw with Aston Villa and praises 'unbelievable' team mate
Sunderland maintained their place in the top half of the Premier League with a draw against Aston Villa
Granit Xhaka says Sunderland have shown they are going to be difficult to beat this season after fighting back to earn a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa on Sunday.
Sunderland's captain believes the point was 'more than deserved' after the Black Cats played for over an hour with ten men following Reinildo's red card for an off-the-ball incident with Matty Cash. Xhaka played a key role in the equaliser, his headed pass finding Wilson Isidor to score.
Xhaka thanked the Sunderland fans for their support and said the team have shown that they will not be an easy opponent for their Premier League rivals this season.
"From the first minute we knew that the game would be very emotional, with our fans at home and the support we have," Xhaka said.
"I had the feeling that we were good in the game and of course the red card changes all the plans that we have during the week. But in the end I believe the one point is much more than deserved. The mentality from the team, the team spirit.. we have shown one more time that it is very difficult to play against us. I'm very happy that we were able to get what we deserved.
"It's not always easy to come to a team that have been promoted. We knew that we had to build a connection as quickly as possible. Of course we have had a good start but it's not luck, it's about how we work, our togetherness and team spirit, our mentality day by day. After that, you can have this start. But it's still the beginning, still many things to improve. But today showed myself and the team that is very hard to beat with us.
"The club brought me for my experience and quality but also to help us connect with each other. I believe that it is very important to have the support with us. Not just at home but at Palace it was unbelievable. On the pitch we need to try to give them something back, because they are supporting us day by day. Hopefully we did that today, and showed that they can trust us."
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Granit Xhaka praises ‘unbelievable’ Sunderland team mate
Xhaka praised Isidor's 'unbelievable' work rate after his third goal of the campaign.
"I felt in the second half that we were dangerous, sometimes it can be difficult for the opponent when you have ten," he said.
"Our set pieces were very good, we conceded and it's not easy to come back so we needed to take a risk. We put on more pressure and of course you can concede a second but we wanted to stay in the game for as long as possible. I saw the ball coming to me and I see Wilson was ready for the second ball. I'm so happy for him to score as well because the effort he put in for this team was unbelievable. I'm so happy he's part of this team and scoring goals, because we know the strikers need the numbers! I'm very happy for him."
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