Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye was sent off 13 minutes into the Toffees’ surprise Premier League victory at Old Trafford after striking team-mate Michael Keane. The incident followed a misplaced pass into the penalty area that left Gueye frustrated; he confronted Keane and raised his hand to the defender’s face, prompting referee Tony Harrington to dismiss him for violent conduct.
Despite being reduced to ten men so early, Everton held on to a 1-0 win thanks to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s 29th-minute strike, their first victory at Old Trafford since 2013. Gueye apologised to team-mates in the dressing room and issued a statement on Instagram accepting full responsibility. He apologised to Keane, the squad, staff, fans and the club, saying the incident did not reflect who he is, that emotions had run high and that he would make sure it did not happen again.
Manager David Moyes acknowledged the competitiveness behind the confrontation, saying he ‘likes his players fighting each other’ when someone has not done the right thing. Moyes said he was disappointed by the sending off and felt the referee might have taken longer to consider the situation, but he accepted that a slap on a team-mate can be punished with dismissal under the rules.
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim disagreed with the red card, arguing intra-team disputes can show passion and resilience and that he hoped his players would continue to ‘fight each other’ when necessary. Dewsbury-Hall described the episode as a ‘moment of madness’ but confirmed Gueye apologised at full-time and praised the squad for responding strongly instead of collapsing under the pressure.
Commentators were split. Gary Neville questioned whether the contact warranted a red, saying there was a hand to the face but it ‘didn’t look too much’ and might have merited a yellow. Jamie Carragher suggested the referee could have managed the situation by calming players rather than immediately applying the dismissal rule. Former Everton boss Roberto Martinez, appearing as a guest, argued the red was correct, pointing to the law that aggression above the neck normally constitutes violent conduct.
Premier League rules state that striking an opponent or any other person on the head or face with the hand or arm is violent conduct unless the force used is negligible. Debate focused on whether the contact was negligible; some felt it was, while others said the law left the referee with little choice.
Gueye faces a three-match suspension and will miss Everton’s upcoming fixtures: Newcastle (H) on Saturday, then away at Bournemouth on December 2 and at home to Nottingham Forest on December 6.
The Senegal international is the first Premier League player sent off for striking a team-mate since Ricardo Fuller struck Andy Griffin in 2008, and only the third dismissal for striking a colleague since the Lee Bowyer–Kieron Dyer incident in 2005. When Bowyer and Dyer clashed, Bowyer received a seven-match ban and a £30,000 fine. Fuller later said his episode ultimately helped team morale and remained at Stoke until 2012.
In spite of the early red card, Everton’s resilience secured a notable win at Old Trafford, with Dewsbury-Hall’s goal proving decisive.