Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye was dismissed for striking team‑mate Michael Keane 13 minutes into the Toffees’ shock Premier League win at Manchester United.
The incident began when Gueye misplayed a loose pass toward Keane in the penalty area, then berated his team‑mate. Gueye raised his hand to Keane’s face and referee Tony Harrington sent him off for violent conduct.
Despite the red card, Everton held on to win 1-0 courtesy of Kiernan Dewsbury‑Hall’s 29th‑minute goal. After the match Gueye apologised to team‑mates in the changing room and posted a statement on Instagram: “I want to apologise first to my team‑mate Michael. I take full responsibility for my reaction. I also apologise to my team‑mates, the staff, the fans and the club. What happened does not reflect who I am or the values I stand for. Emotions can run high, but nothing justifies such behaviour. I’ll make sure it never happens again.”
Everton boss David Moyes defended the competitiveness behind the confrontation, saying he “likes his players fighting each other” when someone has not done the right thing. Moyes added he was disappointed by the sending off and suggested the referee could have taken longer to consider the situation, but accepted the rule that a slap on a team‑mate can lead to dismissal.
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim disagreed with the red card, arguing that intra‑team fighting can show passion and resilience and that he hoped his players would continue to “fight each other” when needed. He said he did not agree with the sending off after the referee’s explanation.
Dewsbury‑Hall called the red card a “moment of madness” but said Gueye apologised at full‑time and the squad moved on. He praised the team’s reaction, saying they could easily have crumbled but instead grew from the situation.
On commentary, Gary Neville questioned the ferocity of the slap and whether it warranted a red, saying there was a hand to the face but it “didn’t look too much” and might have been punishable by a yellow. Jamie Carragher suggested the referee could have managed the incident by calming the players down rather than immediately applying the rule. Former Everton boss Roberto Martinez, appearing as a guest, felt the red was correct, pointing to the law that aggression above the neck normally constitutes violent conduct.
Under Premier League rules, 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; Neville believed it was, while others argued the law left the referee little choice.
Gueye faces a three‑match suspension and will miss Everton’s upcoming fixtures: Newcastle (H) on Saturday, December 2 away at Bournemouth, and December 6 at home to Nottingham Forest.
The Senegal international is the first Premier League player sent off for striking a team‑mate since Ricardo Fuller for Stoke against West Ham in 2008, and only the third player dismissed for striking a colleague after the 2005 Lee Bowyer–Kieron Dyer incident. When Bowyer and Dyer clashed in 2005, Bowyer received a seven‑match ban in total and a £30,000 fine. Fuller, who struck captain Andy Griffin in 2008, later said the episode helped team morale and stayed at Stoke until 2012.
Despite being reduced to ten men early on, Everton earned their first win at Old Trafford since 2013, with Dewsbury‑Hall’s goal proving decisive.