Unai Emery Says Arsenal Captain Granit Xhaka Was 'Wrong' to React to Crowd Boos

Granit Xhaka was wrong to react angrily to jeers from home fans as he was substituted off at the Emirates Stadium in Arsenal's 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday, according to head coach Unai Emery. 

Sokratis and David Luiz netted in the opening 10 minutes for the hosts, but Luka Milivojevic and Jordan Ayew's goals levelled the game before the hour.

Captain Xhaka was subsequently replaced by Bukayo Saka in the 61st minute as Emery tried to manufacture a victory.

His departure from the pitch was initially cheered sarcastically by Arsenal fans, and that turned to boos as Xhaka walked off slowly.

The Swiss midfielder responded by cupping his ear to the crowd before he took his shirt off and headed straight down the tunnel:

Speaking after the match, Emery told BBC's Match of the Day that Xhaka should not have responded as he did: "He's wrong but we are going to speak inside about that situation. I want to be calm but, really, he was wrong in this action."

According to Amy Lawrence of The Athletic, Xhaka reportedly left the stadium before the Palace game ended, and "three senior players went to visit Xhaka at home on Sunday evening to offer support."

Emery was forced to name a new captain this season after the departure of Laurent Koscielny to Bordeaux back in August.

Xhaka was not a popular choice with some Arsenal fans:

But the Telegraph's Sam Dean felt he did not deserve the treatment he got against Palace:

It is a far from ideal situation for Emery, who needs to turn Arsenal's form around after a run of just two league wins in eight games.

The Gunners have some tough upcoming assignments.

Their next two league games are against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City, but before that, they face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup round of 16 on Wednesday.

It is far from inconceivable Arsenal could fail to win all three of those matches, which would put serious pressure on Emery in his role as head coach.