 He scored his first goal from a header for Sunderland in a 2–2 draw against West Bromwich Albion on 1 October 2011.Elmohamady fell out of favour following the departure of Bruce in December 2011 and made no starts under his replacement, Martin O'Neill.At the end of the 2011–12 season, Elmohamady had made 18 appearances in the entire season.