David Moyes, the Everton manager, has offered a candid, and somewhat surprising, view on the bizarre incident that saw Idrissa Gueye sent off during their Premier League match against Manchester United on Monday. The sending off occurred after Gueye slapped teammate Michael Keane following a heated exchange early in the game.
The incident took place in the 13th minute of the match at Old Trafford. A miscommunication between Gueye and Keane led to Everton losing possession in their own half, sparking a heated argument between the pair. Following the exchange, Keane appeared to shove Gueye, who responded by slapping Keane on the side of his face. Referee Tony Harrington immediately issued a red card to Gueye, a decision that was subsequently checked and verified by VAR. Jordan Pickford, Everton's goalkeeper, had to restrain Gueye after the incident.
Despite being down to 10 men for the majority of the match, Everton secured a 1-0 victory, their first Premier League win at Old Trafford in 12 years. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored the winning goal in the first half.
In his post-match interview, Moyes addressed the Gueye-Keane incident with a surprisingly nonchalant and even positive spin. While acknowledging that Gueye had apologized in the dressing room for his actions, Moyes also stated, "I quite like my own players fighting each other and getting annoyed with each other because of a bad ball or someone didn't do the right action". He suggested that such passion and confrontation could be a positive attribute in a winning team. "If you want a winning team, with the resilience and toughness that got us the result, then I think you've got to have players that are going to react in that way," Moyes said.
Moyes also noted that the referee could have taken more time to consider the decision, perhaps suggesting a less severe punishment might have been warranted. He stated, "I thought the referee could maybe have taken a little bit longer to think about it and maybe just gone over and sorted it out". He also mentioned being told about the rules of the game, clarifying that making contact with another player could lead to trouble.
Idrissa Gueye also took to social media to apologize. He stated, "I want to apologise first to my team-mate Michael Keane. 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".
Gueye's red card marks only the third time in Premier League history that a player has been sent off for a confrontation with a teammate. The last occurrence was in 2008 when Ricardo Fuller of Stoke City slapped Andy Griffin during a match against West Ham United.
With the win, Everton moved above Liverpool in the league standings. Gueye is now facing a three-match ban.
