A strange incident unfolded between two Everton teammates during a match on Monday night, leading to one being sent off. It happened in the 13th minute against Manchester United when Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane got into a spat after Gueye lost possession. As Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United attempted to shoot, tensions flared between the two.
In a seemingly chaotic moment, Gueye and Keane struck each other in the face, followed by a shove from Keane. Gueye retaliated by slapping Keane, prompting referee Tony Harrington to issue a red card to Gueye, who was subsequently sent back to the dressing room.
Fortunately, teammate Jordan Pickford and winger Iliman Ndiaye stepped in to help defuse the situation and escort Gueye away.
The Premier League Match Center later confirmed that the red card, for violent conduct, was upheld by VAR after deeming that Gueye had clearly made contact with Keane’s face.
Earlier in the play, Gueye had intercepted the ball inside the penalty area, setting up Fernandes for his shot. He might have expected Keane to clear the ball, but when that didn’t happen, it allowed Fernandes to take his opportunity. Although the shot didn’t result in a goal, it seemed to escalate the frustration for Keane.
Despite the earlier chaos, Everton managed to regain composure and went ahead in the match, scoring first with a goal from Keenan Dewsbury-Hall in the 29th minute.
Before this match, Everton sat at the 11th position in the league standings, while Manchester United was slightly ahead in 10th place.
