Everton will have to cope without Idrissa Gana Gueye this weekend, as the midfielder is suspended for their home game against Newcastle United on Saturday. The Senegalese star was sent off during Monday night’s victory at Old Trafford.
Referee Tony Harrington showed Gueye a straight red after he appeared to slap teammate Michael Keane during a brief altercation between the two. The incident was unusual to say the least as it marked only the third time since the 2000/01 season that a Premier League player has been dismissed for clashing with one of his own teammates, placing Gueye alongside Ricardo Fuller, Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer in that rare category.
Soon after the incident, the Premier League Match Centre explained on X that the VAR team had reviewed the decision and upheld the red card, describing the act as a clear strike to Keane’s face.
Under league rules, violent conduct carries an automatic three-game suspension. As a result, Gueye will miss Saturday’s fixture against Newcastle at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, next Tuesday’s match away at Bournemouth, and the following weekend’s meeting with Nottingham Forest.
The 36-year-old is expected to return in time for Everton’s mid-December clash with Chelsea. However, with his likely involvement in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, that appearance may be his last for the club before the end of 2025.
David Moyes responds to Idrissa Gana Gueye’s red card decision
Even after being reduced to ten men so early in the match, Everton managed to walk away from Old Trafford with all three points, thanks to a brilliant strike from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. What followed was a relentless defensive display from Moyes’ men, helping them climb to 11th place in the league.
Sharing his view on the clash between Gueye and Keane, Moyes said: “We don’t really see incidents like that very often, and honestly, if nothing had come of it, I doubt anyone in the stadium would have been shocked.
I felt the referee could have taken a moment longer, maybe stepped aside to think it through before making the call. I was told the laws say that even raising an arm or slapping your own team-mate can land you in trouble.”
“But there’s another angle to it. I actually like to see my players getting fired up with each other whether it’s because of a poor pass or someone not doing what they should. That’s part of the game. If you want a team that fights to win and shows the kind of resilience we did today, you need players with that edge. I’m disappointed we went down to ten, but anyone who’s played football knows you can lose your temper with your own team-mates.”
After the match, Gueye issued an apology on social media, saying: “I want to apologise first to my team-mate Michael Keane. I take full responsibility for how I reacted. I also want to apologise to the rest of the squad, the staff, the supporters and the club. What happened isn’t who I am or what I stand for. Emotions can get the better of you, but that’s still no excuse. It won’t happen again.”
