Idrissa Gueye was given a round of applause by his Everton teammates after apologising for the incident that saw him sent off during Monday’s win over Manchester United.
The midfielder became the first Premier League player in 17 years to be dismissed for striking a teammate when he slapped Michael Keane during a heated exchange at Old Trafford. The flashpoint followed Gueye’s misplaced pass inside Everton’s penalty area that nearly led to a goal for Bruno Fernandes.
Despite playing with 10 men for over 85 minutes, Everton produced a heroic performance to secure a 1–0 victory, giving David Moyes his first away win at Old Trafford in 18 attempts.
Gueye did not have the chance to speak to the team at half-time, but addressed the squad after the match, apologising directly to Keane and to his teammates for putting them in a difficult position. His words were warmly received and met with applause in the dressing room.
Although Moyes joked that he “likes my players fighting each other”, Everton are expected to follow their standard disciplinary procedures, which could include a fine.
The 36-year-old is set to miss three Premier League matches through suspension and could also be unavailable due to potential Africa Cup of Nations duty with Senegal.
Gueye also issued a public apology on social media, taking full responsibility and promising the incident would not happen again.
