Idrissa Gueye Sent Off for Violent Conduct in Premier League Match
Idrissa Gueye of Everton received a red card for a confrontation with teammate Michael Keane during the Premier League match against Manchester United.
The incident occurred in the 13th minute at Old Trafford, shortly after United's Bruno Fernandes came close to scoring, with the match still scoreless.
During the altercation, defender Keane appeared to push Gueye away on two occasions before the midfielder responded by putting his hand on Keane's face.
Everton's goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, intervened to separate the two players, but referee Tony Harrington issued a straight red card to Gueye for violent conduct.
The Premier League Match Centre later confirmed on X that the referee's decision was reviewed by VAR, which upheld the red card ruling, classifying Gueye's action as a clear strike to Keane's face.
According to the laws governing violent conduct, a player can be sent off for striking an opponent or another individual on the head or face with their hand or arm, unless the force used is deemed negligible.
On BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, former Manchester City and England goalkeeper Joe Hart commented that there seemed to be underlying tensions between the two players prior to the incident. He stated, "The referee wasn’t even close enough to hear what Idrissa Gueye was saying, but he was in Michael Keane’s face, who is considerably bigger than him and shoved him off with one arm. When he came over to continue the argument, the referee just casually walked over and sent him off. Jordan Pickford handled the situation very well. If that’s all that happened, though, it isn’t a red card. Something must have been brewing between those two."
Despite being reduced to ten men, Everton managed to take the lead with a goal from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in the 29th minute.