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Xhaka has been a big talking point among Arsenal supporters following their draw vs Sunderland π
Piers Morgan Drops His Honest Granit Xhaka Verdict After Sunderland Vs Arsenal
Xhaka
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Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka was the star of the show as the Swiss midfielder frustrated former club Arsenal and helped his new club secure a last-gasp 2-2 draw at the Stadium of Light.
Xhaka came up against the Gunners for the first time since leaving the Emirates in the summer of 2023. The veteran Swiss midfielder played a vital role in Regis Le Bris’ men handing Mikel Arteta a setback in the Premier League title race.
Sunderland took the lead through Dan Ballard, a product of the North Londoners’ Hale End academy and were one-nil ahead at half-time. But the visitors came back into the game through Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard and looked likely to make it six wins on the bounce.
That was until Brian Brobbey struck late with another moment for the Mackems to add savour after their famous Chelsea win at Stamford Bridge. The Dutch attacker struck right at the death to ensure his side took a point against the league leaders.
“Pissing Me Off” – Xhaka’s Mischief Rattles Arsenal Fans
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Xhaka was a divisive figure at Arsenal until Arteta’s appointment in 2019, and he even admits he would have left if not for the Spaniard’s arrival at the club. His relationship with fans was strained due to disciplinary issues, but they made amends, and he became a crucial asset in the second half of his spell in North London.
The Emirates faithful loved watching the 33-year-old get under the opposition’s skin, but they were on the receiving end of his antagonising playing style at the Stadium of Light. He put in a brilliant performance on the night and upset a fair few of the travelling supporters in an incident on the half-hour mark.
Mikel Merino went down with an injury, but Xhaka wasn’t having it, shouting at the Spaniard and clearly telling him to get up. This didn’t go unnoticed as fans shared their displeasure with facing him as an opponent.
One fan now understands how he irritates others:
“Loved Xhaka when he wore the shirt. Now can see why he was so hated by opposition fans and some of our own.”
Another supporter has made a u-turn over the Swiss star:
“Na fight Xhaka come fight nothing elseβ¦.. hate him now why is he complaining every single time we get a foul.”
One fan fumed:
“Not sure who I want to punch most in the face between Xhaka and the ref.”
Another added:
“Granit Xhaka is really pissing me off and heβs not even playing for us anymore.”
One fan took the draw as a defeat when urging fellow Gooners to give him a tough time on their own turf:
“I hope everyone boo Xhaka at the emirates ,man was so happy to win against us.”
Xhaka left the Gunners on good terms when he headed to Bayer Leverkusen in a Β£21.4 million deal and he became a Bundesliga champion as part of a Xabi Alonso side that went unbeaten. He claimed a title a year after leaving the Emirates, where he spent the last two years finishing runner-up with Arteta’s side.
Piers Morgan & Arsenal Fans Give ‘Insane’ Xhaka His Flowers
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While some of the Arsenal fanbase were infuriated with their former midfielder, others were full of praise for his display on Saturday night. That included Gunners fan Piers Morgan, who hailed Le Bris’ Black Cats and their skipper:
“Fantastic game of football. Iβll take a point against that fired-up Sunderland team, led by Xhaka who was brilliant. Our MoM was Raya – he was fearless and magnificent.”
Another supporter echoed Morgan’s stance:
“What a game. Gotta respect that fight from Sunderland β they came to play. Xhaka was class, but Raya was unreal. Man of the Match for sure.”
One fan seemed to respect Xhaka staying true to himself:
“Respect gained to this Sunderland team man. Hardest team weβve faced this year in my opinion. They are serious. Captain Xhaka as per doing what does best. Salute.”
Another added:
“Xhaka was insane today man. Tough result and definitely dropped points but hats off to Sunderland.”
Sunderland’s bold decision to sign Xhaka has paid off as he’s been a leader for Le Bris’ troops, who have made an astonishing start to life back among English football’s elite. They nicked a point against title favourites Arsenal and sit third in the league, which was unthinkable after securing promotion through the play-offs.
Xhaka made his 11th appearance since arriving from Leverkusen, and he looks to be one of the signings of the season. It will be interesting to see him return to the Emirates when the two sides meet in February.
FA Cup third round LIVE! Match updates, score, match report as Premier League teams enter the competition
Sunday 11 January 2026 14:27, UK
FA Cup third round LIVE!
First Half: Portsmouth 1-2 Arsenal – Gunners score twice from two set pieces! View post
2.30pm: West Ham vs QPR | Sheff Utd vs Mansfield | Hull vs Blackburn | Norwich vs Walsall | Swansea vs West Brom
4.30pm: Man Utd vs Brighton | FT: Derby 1-3 Leeds
GOAL! Portsmouth 1-2 Arsenal (Martinelli, 25)
Arsenal’s set piece strength comes to the fore again!
It’s far too easy for the Gunners from a Portsmouth perspective.
Martinelli rises highest at the near post to flick Madueke’s corner into the back of the net.
FA Cup third round LIVE! Match updates, score, match report as Premier League teams enter the competition
Sunday 11 January 2026 14:10, UK
GOAL! Portsmouth 1-1 Arsenal (Dozzell OG, 8)
Arsenal get an instant response and of course, it is a set piece!
Eze’s corner is flicked on at the near post and there’s a scramble in the box.
Noorgard is there to disrupt as the ball crosses the line.
it’s not clear who got the decisive touch but the goal is given as a Dozzell own goal.
Game on!
FA Cup third round LIVE!
First Half: Portsmouth 1-1 Arsenal – Own-goal cancels out Pompey’s early opener View post
FT: Derby 1-3 Leeds – Leeds complete second-half turnaround View post
2.30pm: West Ham vs QPR | Sheff Utd vs Mansfield | Hull vs Blackburn | Norwich vs Walsall | Swansea vs West Brom
4.30pm: Man Utd vs Brighton
Preview: Portsmouth v Arsenal
Our quest to add to our record 14 FA Cup triumphs begins at Portsmouthβs Fratton Park on Sunday (2pm UK), as our fight for silverware moves onto a fourth front.
We start the first of four successive away games, all in different competitions, by heading to the home of the Championship side for the first time in six years. Back then, we advanced into the quarter-finals of the competition, en route to lifting the trophy in the early months of Mikel Artetaβs reign.
Heβll hope that history repeats itself in more ways than one, and the omens are good as we havenβt lost to Portsmouth in our last 22 meetings, a run that incredibly stretches back 67 years to 1958.
Welcome cup distraction
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In their second season back in the second tier, Pompey are once again scrapping to maintain that status. Last term saw them finish 16th, five points above the relegation zone, but things are more precarious this time around, as they sit 21st, one point above the drop zone, albeit with games in hand.
Manager John Mousinho was handed his first managerial role by the club just over three years ago, and has rewarded that faith by leading them to the League One title in his first full season in charge. But after a promising start to this campaign that brought a single defeat in their opening five Championship games, the south-coast club have slowly slipped down the table.
They come into this cup tie with one win in their last four, albeit that came in their last home game – a 2-1 success over Charlton Athletic thanks to a 98th-minute winner. 2026 began with a chastening 5-0 loss at Bristol City, before last weekendβs game against Ipswich Town was postponed due to a frozen pitch, leaving them without a fixture for 11 days.
What the managers say
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Arteta:Β “We want [more trophies] for sure, that’s what we are chasing. That’s the purpose of this team.
“At the end, I think we have to get judged, and we get judged for what we do today. Last week is not important and we will get judged for what we are able to do at the end of the season. One thing is the trophies for our football club and the many other things that you have to do in a football club, especially in the situation we are in.”
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Mousinho:Β “The fact that we have a free week building up to the game and a free week after it means we’re not worried about fixture congestion. The fact that we’ve drawn Arsenal at home means it’s a massive opportunity for us to go and enjoy the day and put on a decent enough performance and enjoy the FA Cup.
“There are some very good sides in the Championship, but it just so happens that this weekend we’re playing one of the best sides in the world. It’s an exciting proposition, a bit of a daunting one as well, but we just have to prepare as we normally would.”
Team news
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Piero Hincapie came off during the 0-0 draw against Liverpool on Thursday and is a doubt, while Arteta suggested before that match that Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera are still a little bit away from returning from their injuries.
Max Dowman is nursing a hamstring issue, while Kai Havertz could be an option as he continues to work his way back from the knee injury he sustained on the opening day.
Portsmouth have a packed treatment room at present, which got fuller this week when midfielder Mark Kosznovszky was ruled out long-term with a serious ACL injury, while centre-backs Hayden Matthews (ankle) and Josh Knight (back) have missed recent matches and will do so again here.
Forwards Callum Lang and Josh Murphy are a few weeks away from returning from their hamstring injuries, so Mousinho will be hoping that captain Marlon Pack and striker Colby Bishop will recover from their issues to feature, especially after Minhyeok Yang was recalled by Tottenham Hotspur earlier this week.
Talking tactics
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Adrian Clarke:Β Mousinho likes to use a 4-2-3-1 that focuses hard on releasing his wingers down the sides, but he also occasionally plays a back five. Their young head coach may wish to opt for safety in numbers – but his side are certainly more comfortable in their preferred set-up.
In possession, they have a balanced approach, play through the thirds, and they love to get the ball to their wingers, who tend to put plenty of crosses into the box. But Mousinhoβs men will also go direct at times – no Championship side averages more long passes (69 per 90 minutes) than Portsmouth.
Scoring goals has been an issue, netting just 21 times in league games – the second-lowest tally – while their top scorer is central attacking midfielder Adrian SegecicΒ [above]Β who has four of them. They have also had issues defending crosses which has led to them conceding 14 set-piece goals: the second most at Championship level, while eight of the 35 goals they have let in have been headers.
Backed by vociferous support at Fratton Park, Pompey will try to upset our rhythm with fierce closing down and a well-organised shape. Known for displaying fight on home turf, they have beaten three of the Championshipβs top five on their own patch this season, and as shown by the fact they’ve yet to concede more than twice in a home match too, they can be a tough nut to crack.
Facts and stats
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Portsmouth are winless in their last 22 games against us in all competitions (D8 L14), dating back to a 5-4 win in March 1958. Only against Chelsea (31 between 1962 and 2012) have they ever had a longer winless run.
We have progressed from all four of our FA Cup ties against Pompey, in 1931/32, 1970/71, 2003/04 and 2019/20. Weβve only faced Brighton and Leyton Orient in more ties with a 100% success rate (5/5).
Portsmouth have lost their last three FA Cup third-round ties and their last five FA Cup ties against Premier League opposition since beating Tottenham Hotspur in the 2009/10 semi-final.
We have been eliminated from the FA Cup third round in each of the last two seasons, albeit against top-flight opposition in Liverpool and Man Utd. We havenβt gone out at this stage in more consecutive campaigns since a run of four between 1938/39 and 1947/48.
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Storey’s pair of penalties pip Portsmouth in 1971
Match officials
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Tony Harrington has been handed just his second Gunners game, and we won the previous two. We beat Southampton 3-1 last season, while he was also the man in the middle for last monthβs 2-0 success over Brentford. He has refereed 14 games in all competitions this term, averaging 3.1 yellow cards a game, and he has sent off two players and awarded two penalties.
If the scores are level after 90 minutes, 30 minutes of extra time will follow before a penalty shootout if required. VAR will not be in operation at this stage of the competition.
Referee:Β Tony Harrington
Assistants:Β Steven Meredith & Sian Massey-Ellis
Fourth official:Β Leigh Doughty
Previous trips to Pompey
This will be our first trip to Fratton Park since 2020 – the season in which we last won the FA Cup. That encounter was at the fifth-round stage, and a youthful side progressed thanks to goals from Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Eddie Nketiah.
You have to go back to December 2009 for the previous league encounter when we ventured down to the south coast for a Premier League clash, and were 4-1 victors with Eduardo, Samir Nasri, Aaron Ramsey and Alex Song all finding the net. Seven months earlier, we also recorded a three-goal winning margin when a double from Nicklas Bendtner and a Carlos Vela effort secured three points.
Tune into Arsenal.com and the official app just before kick-off to get live commentary of the game, with Dan Roebuck and Adrian Clarke talking you through all the on-field action.
You can also find outΒ which broadcaster is showing the action liveΒ wherever you are in the world.
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Ho w to watch Portsmouth v Arsenal live on TV
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