Everton manager David Moyes has expressed his surprise at referee Tony Harrington's decision to send off Idrissa Gueye during their remarkable 1-0 victory against Manchester United at Old Trafford, despite the midfielder appearing to slap his own teammate.
The Bizarre Incident That Shocked Old Trafford
The extraordinary moment occurred in the 13th minute of Saturday's Premier League clash when Senegal international Gueye turned on teammate Michael Keane following a defensive miscommunication. After words were exchanged between the two Everton players, the confrontation escalated dramatically inside their own penalty area.
Gueye raised his right arm and made contact with Keane's face in what appeared to be a slap, leaving referee Harrington with little choice but to brandish the red card. The decision reduced Everton to ten men with more than three-quarters of the match still to play at the Theatre of Dreams.
Moyes' Post-Match Reaction
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Moyes delivered his assessment of the unprecedented incident. "No we don't and I'm surprised," the Scottish manager responded when asked about the rarity of such an event.
Moyes suggested the official could have handled the situation differently, stating: "I thought the referee could have maybe taken a bit longer to think about it. Just gone over, sorted it and had a think about it."
The Everton boss revealed his conflicting feelings about the altercation, acknowledging that while he was disappointed with the sending off, he appreciated his players' passion. "I quite like my players fighting each other and getting annoyed with each other because of a bad ball or somebody didn't do the right action," Moyes admitted.
Dressing Room Apology and Team Resilience
Despite the early setback, Everton produced an outstanding display of resilience to secure all three points against Erik ten Hag's side. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored the decisive goal just before the half-hour mark, capitalising on excellent work from his teammates who rallied impressively after the dismissal.
Moyes confirmed that Gueye had apologised to the squad in the dressing room following the incident. "He's apologised in the dressing room for the sending off. He's praised the players incredibly for their performance tonight and thanked them for it," the manager revealed.
Match-winner Dewsbury-Hall described the moment as "just a moment of madness" while praising his teammates' response. "The reaction from the lads after it was unbelievable, top tier. We could've easily crumbled, gone in on ourselves and lost the game comfortably, but it probably made us grow even more as a team," he told reporters.
The victory provided Everton with a precious three points in their Premier League campaign, demonstrating remarkable character to overcome both their opponents and the extraordinary internal incident that threatened to derail their efforts at Old Trafford.
