Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye was sent off for striking team-mate Michael Keane during his side’s 1–0 Premier League win at Manchester United on Sunday, an incident that prompted David Moyes to say he “quite likes” seeing players confront each other.
The confrontation unfolded in the 13th minute at Old Trafford, moments after Bruno Fernandes had gone close for United. Keane twice pushed Gueye away during an argument, prompting the Senegal international to hit the defender with an open hand. Jordan Pickford stepped in to separate them before referee Tony Harrington showed Gueye a straight red card for violent conduct, a decision later confirmed by VAR.
Speaking afterwards, Moyes defended the intensity on display. “I quite like when my players have a fight. I want them to be tough,” he said. “I do not want them to accept someone not doing well enough. Someone did not do the right thing. If you want a winning team, with resilience and toughness, you have to have players who act that way.”
Gueye later apologised publicly, saying on social media that he took “full responsibility” for his actions. He also apologised to Keane, the squad, staff and supporters, and promised the incident would not be repeated. According to Moyes, the midfielder addressed team-mates in the dressing room, where he was applauded. “Big enough to stand up and say he made a mistake. I have accepted it, we all move on,” the Everton manager said.
The Premier League Match Centre stated that the red card was upheld because the incident involved “a clear strike to the face”, which meets the threshold for violent conduct. United manager Ruben Amorim disagreed with the call, arguing that team-mates can clash without it constituting a dismissal, although he acknowledged the referee’s explanation of the law.
Opta records show it is only the third time since 2000–01 that a Premier League player has been sent off for clashing with a team-mate, the previous cases involving Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer for Newcastle in 2005, and Ricardo Fuller with Andy Griffin for Stoke in 2008.
Despite playing with 10 men for more than 75 minutes, Everton secured victory through Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s 29th-minute goal. The midfielder described the incident between Gueye and Keane as a “moment of madness” but said the team had moved on. “It was avoidable. Idrissa apologised at full-time. We have moved on from it. It made us grow as a team,” he said.
The result lifted Everton to 11th in the table, above Liverpool on goal difference, and gave Moyes his first Premier League win at Old Trafford as a visiting manager on his 18th attempt. “I have tried coming here with 11 men and not got over the line. It was an important win,” Moyes said.
On BBC Radio 5 Live, Joe Hart suggested underlying tension between the players may have contributed to the flashpoint, while former assistant referee Darren Cann said Harrington had an unobstructed view and applied the laws correctly. Roberto Martinez called the clash “very surprising” and said the referee had no choice. Jamie Carragher questioned whether the situation could have been managed differently but accepted the law offers little flexibility. Gary Neville, meanwhile, said the incident was “innocuous” and not comparable to the notorious Bowyer and Dyer fight, adding that his “gut feeling” was that a yellow card might have sufficed.
