Going a goal down after Reinildo Mandava's dismissal, Sunderland earned a point thanks to Wilson Isidor's equaliser.
Xhaka's header setup Isidor for his goal and the midfielder said afterwards: "From the first minute, we knew the game would be very emotional with the support we always have.
“I felt that we were good in the game. Of course the red card changed the plans we had but in the end, I believe the one point is more than deserved.
“The mentality of the team showed that we make it very difficult to play against us. In the end, we got what we deserved.”
Xhaka added, "Sometimes with ten men, it’s even harder for the opponents at times. We had good set pieces, we hit the crossbar and after we conceded, it’s not easy to come back so we needed to take a risk.
“We put pressure on them but we tried to stay in the game as long as possible.”