4 hours ago
15
Idrissa Gueye lost his head in front of more than 70,000 people as he was sent off against Manchester United for slapping his own team-mate.
The Everton midfielder carelessly gave the ball away in the penalty area which Bruno Fernandes almost punished when his shot whistled just past the post.
As United players started jogging back to defend the goal-kick, Gueye confronted team-mate Michael Keane after the defender berated Gueye for his careless play.
The pair came face to face, with Keane appearing to move his head towards Gueye, before he raised his hand and struck Keane in the face with a slap, leading to a straight red card from referee Tony Harrington.
It conjured up memories of 20 years ago when Kieran Dyer and Lee Bowyer clashed and came to blows on the pitch for Newcastle United versus Aston Villa.
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.
Idrissa Gueye appeared to slap team-mate Michael Keane across the face in a bizarre incident
The Everton star had to be held back by Jordan Pickford as he tried to get a second go at Keane
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.
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.'
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 went ahead on the half hour despite playing with 10 as Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's superb effort found the top corner.
