Alan Shearer criticises Sunderland display after West Ham defeat

Sunderland saw their push for a European place take a dent on Saturday, and Alan Shearer was not impressed by what he saw.

The Black Cats’ defeat away to West Ham United leaves them 10th in the Premier League, with momentum stalling at a crucial stage of the season. While West Ham went into the game as favourites, the manner of Sunderland’s performance raised eyebrows — particularly in the first half.

Analysing the match on Match of the Day on 24 January, Shearer was scathing in his assessment, questioning both Sunderland’s intensity and individual application.

“They got outfought in the first half,” Shearer said. “They were lazy, and there was no desire to close any West Ham player down with any urgency.”

The former Newcastle striker also highlighted a moment that summed up Sunderland’s struggles.

“The smallest player on the park manages to out-jump the centre-backs, which isn’t good enough,” he added.

Shearer reserved particular criticism for Enzo Le Fée, pointing to the midfielder’s role in West Ham’s third goal.

“The lack of effort from Enzo Le Fée to close down Mateus Fernandes’ shot for the third goal just wasn’t good enough either,” Shearer said.

Le Fée featured throughout the defeat and later addressed the result on social media, adopting a defiant tone as Sunderland look to regroup.

“It was a difficult day. Back to work,” he wrote, adding: “Thank you once again for your support.”

Head coach Régis Le Bris admitted Sunderland were well below their usual level during the opening period of the match, but stressed the problems ran deeper than tactics or team selection.

With Granit Xhaka unavailable, Le Bris opted not to reinforce the midfield — a decision West Ham exploited ruthlessly, scoring three times before the break.

“Yeah, they were better than us in the first half,” Le Bris admitted.
“They scored three times, could have scored more, were better in duels, more composed and had the ability to threaten our goal.”

The Sunderland boss pointed out that the system itself was not unfamiliar.

“We played more or less like that against Manchester City, for example,” he said.
“We’ve used this set-up before and I expected a good workflow. I don’t think the team selection is the main point — it’s more about our level in the first half.”

Le Bris concluded by stressing that lapses in intensity are brutally punished at Premier League level.

“When we are too far from our standards in this league, you get punished,” he said.

For Sunderland, the challenge now is to respond quickly and prove that Shearer’s verdict was a one-off — not a sign of something deeper.

Sunderland have earned praise this season for their organisation and intensity. Performances like this risk undoing that progress — and Shearer’s blunt assessment highlights how fine the margins are when Europe is the target.

Was Shearer right to single out Le Fée, or did Sunderland’s problems run deeper?