Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka did not take kindly to the decision to substitute him on Sunday against Crystal Palace, and appeared to tell home fans to “f*ck off” as he left the pitch in a huff.
Xhaka wore the armband for this weekend’s clash at the Emirates Stadium, with little sign early on that the afternoon would take a downward turn.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos and David Luiz both scored inside the first 10 minutes to send Unai Emery’s men on the way to what looked set to be a comfortable win.
Palace, however, had other ideas, hitting back through Luka Milivojevic and Jordan Ayew to level the scoreline at 2-2 at the start of the second half.
Xhaka’s game ended minutes later when he was withdrawn for teenager Bukayo Saka, but the Switzerland international had no intention of going quietly.
The midfielder cupped his ear to the Emirates faithful and waved his arms, while apparently mouthing “f*ck off” to fans after supporters reacted to his substitution by cheering.
He then disappeared straight down the tunnel, having already thrown his shirt to the floor.
Xhaka was elected captain in September through a now infamous blind ballot among Arsenal players, a decision that has attracted criticism in certain circles.
