More than 70,000 fans watched a shocking moment on Sunday when Idrissa Gueye completely lost his cool during Everton’s clash with Manchester United — and ended up being sent off for slapping his own team-mate.
A Costly Mistake
The drama began when Gueye misplayed the ball inside his own penalty area, gifting United a dangerous opening.
Bruno Fernandes nearly punished the mistake, curling a shot just wide of the post.
As Everton prepared for the goal-kick, tensions boiled over.
Teammates Turn on Each Other
Michael Keane immediately confronted Gueye about the blunder.
What started as a verbal exchange quickly escalated as the two stood face-to-face.
Keane appeared to lean his head toward Gueye, and in response, the midfielder raised his hand and slapped Keane across the face.
Referee Tony Harrington had seen enough — he produced a straight red card.
A Rare and Embarrassing Premier League Moment
Gueye became the first Premier League player since 2008 to be dismissed for fighting with a teammate, when Ricardo Fuller slapped his Stoke colleague Andy Griffin.
Older fans were instantly reminded of infamous bust-ups like Kieran Dyer vs. Lee Bowyer at Newcastle in 2005 or the clash between Graeme Le Saux and David Batty during Blackburn’s Champions League tie in 1995.
Everton Forced to Intervene
As Everton players tried to calm things down, Jordan Pickford and Iliman Ndiaye physically pulled Gueye away when it looked like he wanted another go at Keane.
Eventually, he was ushered towards the tunnel for an early exit — his first red card of the season.
Cameras Almost Missed the Moment
TV viewers nearly didn’t see the incident at all.
Sky Sports happened to be replaying an earlier moment just as the row erupted, only catching the full altercation in later footage that clearly showed Gueye slapping Keane.
Commentary Box Divided
Gary Neville felt the decision was harsh, saying: “There’s not much in that — it’s a tap.”
He called it an unpleasant moment but not one worthy of a red card.
Jamie Carragher agreed, suggesting the referee could have managed the situation instead of immediately reaching for the rulebook.
“Could you just get the two of them together and say ‘behave yourselves’?” he argued.
VAR Weighs In
The Premier League Match Centre later clarified on X that VAR reviewed the incident and supported the referee’s decision, confirming the slap was a clear strike to Keane’s face — and therefore violent conduct.
Everton Push On Despite the Drama
Remarkably, Everton managed to brush off the chaos.
Just minutes later, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall produced a brilliant strike into the top corner to give the Toffees the lead on the half-hour mark.
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