Everton defender Idrissa Gueye receives red card after slapping teammate
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Slapping another player is usually a pretty good way to treat yourself to an early exit from a soccer game. Everton’s Idrissa Gueye met that fate after drawing a red card to leave his team a man short against Manchester United, but it was a fairly unusual ejection when you consider he was sent off for going after his own teammate.
It’s not rare for tensions to flare between opposing players over the course of a sporting event, and while I would use that word to describe altercations between people on the same team, there have been more than a few situations where athletes wearing the same uniform have ended up butting heads.
There are naturally going to be some disagreements between teammates every now and then, but it is very advisable to handle them behind closed doors as opposed to ending up in a situation where your squad gets hit with the “Dysfunctional” label because you aired some grievances for all the world to see.
However, exercising restraint in the heat of the moment can be easier said than done, and Everton paid the price thanks to what transpired when one player took things to bit too far while expressing his displeasure with one of his own guys.
Everton’s Idrissa Gueye was ejected from a match against Manchester United after slapping his own teammate
Senegalese defender Idrissa Gueye made his Premier League debut with Aston Villa during the 2015-2016 season, and that ended up being a one-and-done campaign that preceded a three-year run with Everton. He subsequently spent another three seasons with Paris Saint-Germain, but the 36-year-old has been doing his thing with The Toffees since returning in 2023.
Everton has finished near the bottom of the table in the three seasons since his return, and the team was sitting in a tie for ninth place with a 5-3-4 record heading into Monday night’s mid-off with a Manchester United club boasting an identical résumé 12 games into the current season.
Neither team had scored when Man U’s Bruno Fernandes fired a shot from inside the penalty area that sailed to the left of the goal in the 13th minute. Gueye made it very clear he was not happy that the midfielder was granted that opportunity in the first place and said as much while making his way toward fellow Everton defender Michael Keane.
The two men exchanged words before Keane shoved Gueye away from him, which garnered a response from the man who slapped him in the face and was consequently hit with a red card for striking someone on his own team. The decision was confirmed by VAR, and Gueye was booted from the match.
Everton’s Idrissa Gana Gueye is shown a straight red card after a scuffle with HIS OWN TEAMMATE, Michael Keane. 😳 pic.twitter.com/F1DyaIOqjC
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) November 24, 2025
Everton managed to overcome the ejection and took a 1-0 lead on a goal from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in the 29th minute despite being a man down. The score remained unchanged upon the publication of this article, and while we don’t have any insight into the fallout of the slap as of this writing, this will likely change upon the conclusion of the match.