Idrissa Gueye received a round of applause from the Everton squad after apologising for his extraordinary red card in Monday’s victory at Manchester United. The midfielder became the first Premier League player to be dismissed for striking a teammate in 17 years when slapping Michael Keane at Old Trafford.
Everton performed heroically with 10 men for 85 minutes to hand David Moyes his first win at Old Trafford as a visiting manager in 18 attempts and deliver only the club’s second victory at United in 33 years. After the 1-0 win, Gueye addressed the entire group and Keane specifically, apologising for the slap and for leaving his teammates with a monumental task.
Gueye also issued an apology on social media, writing: “I want to apologise first to Michael Keane. I take full responsibility for my reaction. I also apologise to my teammates, the staff, the fans and the club. What happened does not reflect who I am or the values I stand for.”
Despite the apology, Gueye could still be disciplined by Everton. He will serve a three-match suspension against Newcastle, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest, and could be called up for Africa Cup of Nations duty by Senegal before becoming eligible to play against Chelsea on 13 December.
Meanwhile, Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt criticised his side’s performance, saying they lacked “urgency” in the loss. “The Premier League is not for the weak,” he said. “We lacked the urgency to score goals, to create chances, and then against a team like Everton, who drops back and are really strong in the air, it’s going to be quite difficult.”
