Stephania Kazmierczak
Idrissa Gueye lost his head in front of more than 70,000 people as he was sent off against Manchester United for slapping his own team-mate.
The Everton midfielder carelessly gave the ball away in the penalty area which Bruno Fernandes almost punished when his shot whistled just past the post.
As United players started jogging back to defend the goal-kick, Gueye confronted team-mate Michael Keane after the defender berated Gueye for his careless play.
The pair came face to face, with Keane appearing to move his head towards Gueye, before he raised his hand and struck Keane in the face with a slap, leading to a straight red card from referee Tony Harrington.
Gueye is the first player to be sent off in the Premier League for fighting with a team-mate since 2008 when Stoke’s Ricardo Fuller was sent off for slapping Andy Griffin.
It conjured up memories of 20 years ago when Kieran Dyer and Lee Bowyer clashed and came to blows on the pitch for Newcastle United versus Aston Villa.
Blackburn Rovers team-mates Graeme Le Saux and David Batty famously fought with each other on the pitch in a Champions League game versus Spartak Moscow in 1995.
David Moyes could have no complaints with the red for Gueye, his first dismissal of the season, as he had to be physically restrained by Jordan Pickford and Iliman Ndiaye as he tried to get a second go at Keane, before eventually going down the tunnel.
TV cameras initially missed the incident with Sky Sports cutting to a replay as it was unfolding.
Full footage shows Gueye and Keane in a heated row, which then escalates as the defender moves his head in the direction of his team-mate. Gueye then slaps Keane.
Speaking on commentary, Gary Neville claimed the sending off was soft. ‘There’s not much in that – it’s a tap,’ he said.
‘It’s unsavoury when you see two teammates going at each other but it wasn’t a scrap. It didn’t need to be a red card.’
Jamie Carragher agreed with Neville and believes the referee did not have to give Gueye his marching orders.
‘I just think sometimes can the referee manage a situation a little bit?’ Carragher said.
‘The actual ruling, as you’ve said, a little bit like when we talk about tackles, excessive force, we’re talking about a slap here.
‘Could you just get the two of them together and say ‘eh, behave yourselves’. Sort of manage the situation rather than say ‘that’s the rule book, I am just going off exactly that’. When you actually look at the rules it actually gives the referee a bit of an out.’
The Premier League Match Centre said on X: ‘The referee’s call of red card to Gueye for violent conduct was checked and confirmed by VAR – with the action deemed to be a clear strike to the face of Keane.’
Everton were not hampered by the red card as they went ahead on the half hour as Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s superb effort found the top corner.
It was enough to secure a famous victory for the Toffees, their first at Old Trafford since 2013.
Speaking to Sky Sports post-match, the match-winner revealed that Gueye apologised to his team-mates after the full-time whistle.
‘Rollercoaster game. I’ll sleep well tonight, put it that way,’ a very pleased Dewsbury-Hall said. ‘So genuinely happy for the lads and how hard they worked. A fantastic performance of gritting away, getting a goal and keeping that spirit. So glad we got the three points.
‘We started really well – the situation happened. It was a moment of madness, avoidable. The reaction from us, was unbelievable. Top tier. We could have crumbled but if anything, it made us grow.
‘He [Moyes, at half-time] just said: that’s done now. We’ll deal with that another time. It was about keeping to the plan we had. He made sure we do the right things, continue what we’re dong. We can’t change that now, second half we continued to do that.’
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