David Moyes’s 10-man Everton held on to claim an extraordinary win at Manchester United after Idrissa Gueye was sent off just 13 minutes into the match for slapping team-mate Michael Keane.
Gueye became the first Premier League player to be sent off for fighting a team-mate since 2008 after raising his left hand to slap Keane, following an argument over a loose pass from Gueye that had presented a chance to Bruno Fernandes.
Referee Tony Harrington immediately produced the red card, which was confirmed by VAR Paul Howard, and Everton then stunned Old Trafford by taking the lead thanks to a stunning strike from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall on the half-hour mark.
Improbably, Dewsbury-Hall’s goal was enough for Everton to claim their first win at Old Trafford since 2013, when Moyes was United manager, and end the hosts’ recent resurgence under Ruben Amorim. But the red card remained the big talking point, with Moyes backing his players afterwards, saying “I like my players fighting each other, if someone didn’t do the right action. If you want that toughness and resilience to get a result, you want someone to act on it.”
On Sky Sports, Gary Neville said Gueye’s slap did not warrant a sending off, adding: “They were not fighting, it wasn’t a scrap. It could have been dealt with by a yellow. I don’t think it needed to be a red.” But the Premier League said: “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.”
Follow all the fallout from a remarkable evening at Old Trafford below:
Idrissa Gueye issues public apology after seeing red for slapping Everton team-mate
“I want to apologise first to my teammate Michael Keane. I take full responsibility for my reaction,” he wrote on Instagram.
“I also apologise to my teammates, 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.”
WATCH: David Moyes likes to see his players fighting
Something of a bizarre moment when Everton boss David Moyes suggests he actually likes his players fighting, int he aftermath of Idrissa Gueye’s sending off.
Have a look at what Moyes had to say about the incident:
Gary Neville condemns ‘embarrassing and complacent’ Man United after Everton defeat
Gary Neville has lambasted Manchester United following their 1-0 defeat to Everton, calling the result an embarrassment and suggesting they were undone by their own complacency.
United headed into the Monday night contest at Old Trafford riding something of a crest of a wave after going five matches unbeaten, as morale-boosting wins over Sunderland, Liverpool and Brighton were allied with draws against Nottingham Forest and Tottenham.
And things appeared to going the way of Ruben Amorim’s side once more when Idrissa Gueye was sent off after just 13 minutes for slapping his own Everton team-mate Michael Keane.
However, United wilted from there as a brilliant Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall strike gave the Toffees the lead on the half-hour mark and the visitors held on to that advantage for the remainder of the game, with the hosts struggling to create much of note.
Idrissa Gueye, Michael Keane and other times when team-mates have had scuffles on the pitch
Hankering for some more team-mate infighting?
This of course isn’t the first time that emotions have spilled over and players wearing the same shirt have had scuffles on the pitch.
Here are some famous examples:
Deja vu?
When team-mates fight team-mates, there’s always one thing that comes to mind. Kieron Dyer, Lee Bowyer and the most famous Premier League fight of all time.
Should Michael Keane have been sent off too?
Idrissa Gueye was the villain of yesterday’s scrap – he was the one who squared up to his Everton team-mate Michael Keane before slapping the defender.
But when watching the incident back, there is the argument that Keane physically escalated things with a push when Gueye was getting in his face.
Fair reaction?
David Moyes wins at Old Trafford for first time as away manager
There was a beaming smile on the face of David Moyes as he walked into the Old Trafford tunnel last night – and for all that went on, you can’t blame him!
It was his first win at Old Trafford as an away manager! It’s Everton’s first win at Manchester United since 2013, when Moyes was in charge of United!
David Moyes says Idrissa Gueye has apologised for slap
Idrissa Gueye apologised to Michael Keane and his team-mates after he was sent off for slapping the Everton defender.
“I’m disappointed we get the sending off,” David Moyes said. “But we’ve all been footballers, we get angry with our team-mates.
“He’s apologised for the sending off, he’s praised the players and thanked them for it and apologised for what happened.”
“It was a moment of madness, avoidable,” Kienan Dewsbury-Hall said.
But all I can say is Idrissa has apologised to us at full-time, said his piece and that’s all he can do. We move on from it. The reaction from us, was unbelievable. Top tier. We could have crumbled but if anything, it made us grow.
Everton now above Liverpool in the Premier League
To make last night even sweeter for the Toffees, Everton are now above Liverpool in the Premier League table. They remain in the bottom half, but push Liverpool down to 12th.
David Moyes on Idrissa Gueye’s red card: ‘I like my players fighting each other’
David Moyes won at Manchester United as an away manager for the first time in 18 attempts as he praised the “togetherness and resilience” of his Everton team despite Idrissa Gueye’s red card for slapping team-mate Michael Keane.
On an extraordinary night at Old Trafford, Everton became the first team in Premier League history to beat United away from home while down to 10 men, as Moyes defeated his former employers.
“I got told that the rules of the game that if you slap your own player, you could be in trouble,” Moyes said.
“But there’s another side to it: I like my players fighting each other, if someone didn’t do the right action. If you want that toughness and resilience to get a result, you want someone to act on it.”
