Everton boss David Moyes says incident showed his team’s fighting spirit
Everton midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye has publicly apologised to fans after being sent off for slapping teammate Michael Keane during Monday’s 1-0 victory over Manchester United.
In a bizzare scene, Gueye was dismissed after just 13 minutes for hitting Keane on the face during an argument about who did not do their defensive duties properly. Gueye was shown a straight red for violent conduct and the decision was confirmed by VAR.
The match was still goalless at the time but Everton managed to score and secure a win with ten men. United had no answer to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s goal midway through the first half.
Gueye said on Instagram: “I want to apologise first to my team-mate Michael. I take full responsibility for my reaction. I also apologise to my team-mates, the staff, the fans and the club. What happened does not reflect who I am or the values I stand for. Emotions can run high, but nothing justifies such behaviour. I’ll make sure it never happens again.”
Everton boss David Moyes confirmed Gueye spoke to the squad in the dressing room after the match. However, Moyes downplayed the confrontation itself.
“If nothing happened, I don’t think anyone in the stadium would have been surprised,” said Everton’s manager. “I thought the referee could have taken a bit longer to think about it. I got told that the rules of the game that if you slap your own player, you could be in trouble.”
Moyes also spinned the case as an example of his team’s fighting spirit.
“There’s another side to it: I like my players fighting each other if someone didn’t do the right action,” said Moyes. “If you want that toughness and resilience to get a result, you want someone to act on it.”
