In a truly extraordinary moment at Old Trafford on Monday night, Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye was shown a straight red card for slapping his own teammate, Michael Keane, in a fit of rage.
The bizarre incident, which occurred just 13 minutes into Everton's eventual 1-0 victory over Manchester United, has left the Senegalese international facing a potentially massive ten-game absence.
The Moment of Madness
The chain of events began with a simple defensive miscommunication. Idrissa Gueye collected the ball inside his own penalty area and attempted a pass to central defender Michael Keane, who was not anticipating the ball.
The wayward pass fell straight to Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, whose subsequent shot whistled agonisingly wide of Jordan Pickford's post.
What followed, however, escalated far beyond a typical on-pitch disagreement. As players gathered for a post-chance inquest, Keane and Gueye squared up to each other. After a brief shoving match, the midfielder aimed an open-handed slap at his defensive colleague.
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was quick to intervene, physically dragging a furious Gueye away from the confrontation. The damage was already done, however, with referee Tony Harrington immediately producing the red card for violent conduct.
Unwanted History and Remarkable Resilience
The dismissal placed Gueye in an infamous and exclusive club. This was only the third time in Premier League history a player has been sent off for fighting with a teammate, following incidents involving Ricardo Fuller of Stoke in 2008 and Newcastle's Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer in 2005.
Defying all expectations, David Moyes's Everton side produced a galvanised and resilient performance. Rather than crumbling, the ten men dug deep, frustrating a lacklustre Manchester United.
The victory was sealed by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's stunning solo effort in the 29th minute, with Pickford making several crucial saves to preserve the clean sheet and a hard-fought three points.
The Costly Consequences
The victory, however, comes with a significant sting in the tail for the Toffees. Gueye has been handed an automatic three-match suspension for violent conduct, ruling him out of upcoming fixtures against Newcastle, Bournemouth, and Nottingham Forest.
The situation is compounded by the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations. As part of the Senegal squad, Gueye is expected to join his national team two weeks before the tournament begins on December 23.
This means he could be unavailable for Everton's trip to face Chelsea on December 13, when his domestic suspension ends. With the AFCON tournament running until January 18, Gueye could miss a total of ten matches for his club.
In the aftermath, goalscorer Dewsbury-Hall described the incident as a "moment of madness" but confirmed that Gueye had apologised to the entire dressing room at half-time.
Manager David Moyes struck a surprising tone, stating, "I like my players fighting each other, if someone didn't do the right action." He expressed disappointment with the red card, feeling the referee could have taken more time over the decision.
While the three points ensured the story had a positive ending on the night, Everton will now have to navigate a crucial period of the season without a key midfielder.
