Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye received a straight red card for slapping his own teammate during Monday night's match against Manchester United - yet his side still secured a historic 1-0 victory at Old Trafford despite playing with 10 men for 77 minutes.
The Senegal international struck defender Michael Keane in the 13th minute following a heated exchange after losing possession in his own half. Referee Tony Harrington immediately sent Gueye off, leaving Everton to face Manchester United a man down for the remainder of the match.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored the winning goal just before the half-hour mark. The victory ended Manchester United's five-game unbeaten Premier League run and marked a landmark result - Everton became the first team to win at Old Trafford after having a player sent off in the Premier League era.
United manager admits defeat was deserved
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim delivered a scathing assessment of his team's performance. «Frustration, disappointment about the way we played the game. They were the better team, with 11 they defend really well for 70 minutes with 10 men. I think we deserved to lose,» Amorim told reporters at his post-match press conference.
The 38-year-old Portuguese coach expressed concern about his team's readiness. «We didn't play well, we didn't play with the right intensity,» he said. «We are not there, not even near the point we should be to fight for the best positions in the league. We need to be perfect to win games and we were not.»
Amorim referenced fears of repeating last season's disappointments. «I feel afraid of returning this feeling of last season,» he admitted. «That is my biggest concern, we need to work together and we need to be better.»
Moyes defends player conflict
Everton manager David Moyes offered a controversial take on the red card incident, suggesting he "quite likes" players fighting with each other. Speaking to Sky Sports, Moyes said: «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.»
The 62-year-old manager connected the incident to his team's resilience. «I think that's part of it. If you want a winning team and the resilience and toughness which got us the result, then I think you need players who are going to act that way,» Moyes told Sky Sports.
He confirmed Gueye had apologized to his teammates in the dressing room and praised the players for their performance despite the setback.
Gueye issues public apology
Gueye took full responsibility for his actions in an Instagram story posted after the match. «I want to apologise first to my team-mate Michael Keane. I take full responsibility for my reaction. I also apologise to my team-mates, the staff, the fans and the club,» he wrote.
The midfielder acknowledged his behavior crossed a line. «What happened does not reflect who I am or the values I stand for. Emotions run high but nothing justifies such behaviour. I'll make sure it never happens again,» Gueye stated.
Match-winner Dewsbury-Hall described the incident as «just a moment of madness» but praised 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 said.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
