Everton coach David Moyes did not criticize midfielder Idrissa Gueye, who received a red card for slapping teammate Michael Keane in Monday’s English league match with Manchester United. The coach of the guests, on the other hand, said that he likes it when his own players get involved.
Only the third time in the history of the Premier League and the first time since 2008 that a red card was issued for a fight with a teammate.
“These things happen in football. I think the referee could have waited a little longer with the verdict,” Moyes said.
“I learned that the rules are that if you hit a teammate or raise your shoulder in a certain way, you will get in trouble. But there is another side to that,” the veteran coach continued.
“I quite like it when my players argue and get mad at each other because of a bad pass or action,” he surprised with his statement.
“If you want a winning team, with the resilience and intransigence that led us to the result, then you need players who react like this,” explained the 62-year-old Scot, who led the duo of Czech representatives Vladimír Coufal and Tomáš Souček at West Ham, with whom they dominated the Conference League in 2023.
Gueye was angered after passing Keane close to his own goal, but he failed to react at all, setting up a firing position for Bruno Fernandes, who fired wide.
The two teammates then engaged in a verbal and physical altercation, culminating in Gueye slapping Kean. Referee Tony Harrington sent him off immediately.
Teammates Jordan Pickford and Iliman Ndiaye had to calm Gueye down with difficulty. The 36-year-old Senegalese apologized in the cabin and on social networks after the match.
Red card for slapping a teammate… 😱🤷♂️
Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye started after Michael Keane after a misunderstanding in the Toffees defense and earned himself a sending-off for his reaction. 🟥
Have you ever seen anything like this? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/zi99Ysiv8f
— CANAL+ Sport CZ/SK (@CANALSportCZ) November 24, 2025
“I want to apologize to my teammate Michael Keane. I take full responsibility for my reaction. I also apologize to my other teammates, the implementation team, the fans and the club,” he sprinkled his head with ashes.
“What happened does not reflect who I am or what values I believe in. Emotions may flare up, but there is no excuse for such behavior. It will definitely never happen again,” Gueye promised.
Moyes made light of the whole situation from the 13th minute, certainly because Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall opened the scoring a quarter of an hour after the incident, and the visitors kept the lead despite the long weakening and pressure of the opponent.
It was Moyes’ 18th attempt against his former employer in the league at Old Trafford.
Everton triumphed in the Premier League at United Stadium for the first time since December 2013 and only the second time in their last 33 games.
In addition, they became the first team in the history of the Premier League to win there with a numerical disadvantage. In the previous 46 occasions, the “Red Devils” won 36 duels at home in the power play and drew in 10.
“I’m incredibly proud of the players and the fans because it’s been an ironclad regularity that we haven’t won anything here,” gushed Moyes.
“It’s never easy here with 11 players, but the fact that we managed to do it in a weakened state is a testament to the incredible work of the players,” reveled in the coach, whose men moved up to 11th on points behind United.
