Everton Nick Chaos Win at Old Trafford as Moyes Shrugs Off Shock Team-Mate Bust-Up
Everton pinched a bizarre 1-0 win at Old Trafford despite Idrissa Gueye being sent off for slapping team-mate Michael Keane — and David Moyes reckons he “quite likes” his lads having a scrap.
The flashpoint came just 13 minutes in with the game still goalless. United had nearly nicked the opener through Bruno Fernandes when Gueye and Keane suddenly squared up. Keane shoved the Senegal midfielder away twice, only for Gueye to whack him across the face with an open hand. Jordan Pickford dived in to split them, but referee Tony Harrington didn’t hang about, flashing a straight red for violent conduct.
Moyes, though, wasn’t losing sleep. “I quite like when my players have a fight,” he said with a grin afterwards. “I want them to be tough. Someone didn’t do the right thing, but if you want a winning team, you need players who’s going to act that way.” The Scot later revealed Gueye stood before the squad and apologised, receiving a round of applause for fronting up.
Gueye, in his second spell with the Toffees, posted an apology online. “I take full responsibility… emotions can run high,” he wrote, insisting it won’t happen again. United boss Ruben Amorim, however, didn’t agree with the decision, arguing that team-mates can row without it being a red. VAR backed Harrington, saying the strike to the face was clear, and by the letter of the law that’s game over.
Opta says it’s only the third time in Premier League history a player’s been sent off for clashing with his own team-mate — joining the infamous Bowyer v Dyer bust-up in 2005 and Ricardo Fuller’s scrap with Andy Griffin in 2008. Former pros were split on the call: Jamie Carragher called it “a slap”, Gary Neville said yellow would’ve done, and ex-ref Darren Cann insisted Harrington had no choice. Even Joe Hart suggested “something must’ve been brewing”.
Yet Everton, down to 10 for more than an hour, dug in. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall smashed home the winner on 29 minutes, describing the incident as a “moment of madness” that oddly helped the group grow. “Idrissa has apologised, we’ve moved on,” he said. The Toffees then rode wave after wave of United pressure, hanging on with some proper backs-to-the-wall stuff.
It ended up a landmark night for Moyes — his first league win at Old Trafford as an away manager at the 18th attempt. “I’ve tried with 11 men and not got over the line,” he joked. “For 80 minutes we was on the back foot. Took a big job to get over the line.”
The result lifts Everton to 11th, above rivals Liverpool on goal difference, and hands United another bruising night under the lights. For Everton, it’s back-to-back wins and a dose of gritty momentum. For Gueye, a long week ahead — but if nothing else, nobody inside Goodison will forget this one in a hurry.