MANCHESTER, England — Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye was shown a red card for violent conduct just 13 minutes into their Premier League victory against Manchester United on Monday after he slapped teammate Michael Keane.
Referee Tony Harrington witnessed Gueye strike Keane in the face during a heated argument early in the first half at Old Trafford.
The incident occurred after Gueye misplayed a pass to Keane, leading to a scoring opportunity for Bruno Fernandes.
Harrington promptly issued Gueye a red card, and both Jordan Pickford and Iliman Ndiaye had to intervene to separate Gueye and Keane as Gueye attempted to continue his argument.
The Premier League Match Centre confirmed that VAR reviewed the incident and upheld the decision, noting it constituted a clear strike to Keane’s face.
This incident forced David Moyes into making another adjustment, coming just three minutes after Seamus Coleman had to exit the match early due to injury in his first Premier League start of the season.
After the match, Moyes commented, “I didn’t see anything wrong with it. I was frustrated they were challenging each other, but at the same time, it showed they cared.”
“If they hadn’t shown that fight or resilience, they wouldn’t have managed to get through the game. [Gueye] has apologized to the squad. It’s all good and we move on.”
At the time of Gueye’s dismissal, the score was still tied 0-0, but shortly after, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored to give Everton a 1-0 lead with an impressive curled shot from the edge of the penalty area.
Despite being down a man for the entire second half, Everton successfully held off Manchester United to secure an unexpected three points at Old Trafford.
“It was a moment of madness,” Dewsbury-Hall said regarding Gueye’s red card. “It could have been avoided, but Idrissa has apologized to everyone at full-time, and we’re moving past it. The way the team reacted was incredible. We could have easily collapsed and lost the game, but it ended up bringing us closer together.”
This incident is not the first time teammates have clashed on the pitch. A recent example includes Stoke City’s Ricardo Fuller slapping teammate Andy Griffin on December 28, 2008, during a match against West Ham.
In 2005, a notable clash between Newcastle teammates Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer occurred during a Premier League match against Aston Villa, resulting in both players receiving red cards.
Similarly, Blackburn Rovers’ David Batty and Graeme Le Saux were involved in a heated exchange in a Champions League match against Spartak Moscow in 1995.