In a moment of heated frustration, Idrissa Gueye found himself at the center of controversy, earning a red card at Old Trafford in front of a crowd of over 70,000. The Everton midfielder was dismissed for striking his teammate during a tense match against Manchester United.
The incident unfolded after Gueye’s lapse in concentration led to a costly mistake. He lost possession near his own penalty area, narrowly avoiding punishment as Bruno Fernandes’ shot skimmed past the post.
As the Red Devils began their retreat to defend a goal-kick, Gueye faced sharp criticism from fellow Everton player Michael Keane. The confrontation escalated quickly when Gueye retaliated against Keane’s reprimand.
The altercation saw the two players in close quarters, with Keane seemingly nudging his head toward Gueye. In response, Gueye lashed out with a slap, resulting in referee Tony Harrington issuing an immediate red card.
This dismissal marks Gueye as the first Premier League player to be sent off for fighting a teammate since Ricardo Fuller’s infamous altercation with Andy Griffin while playing for Stoke City in 2008.
The incident also evoked memories of a notorious clash from two decades ago when Kieran Dyer and Lee Bowyer infamously brawled on the pitch during a Newcastle United match against Aston Villa.
Idrissa Gueye appeared to slap team-mate Michael Keane across the face in a bizarre incident
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 Everton star had to be held back by Jordan Pickford as he tried to get a second go at Keane
‘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.’
