Idrissa Gueye was shown a straight red card for slapping Michael Keane during Everton's 1-0 win at Manchester United, with David Moyes giving his take on the incident
Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane of Everton
Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane clashed during Everton's win at Manchester United
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Everton manager David Moyes has fired a warning to Newcastle United ahead of Saturday's meeting at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, claiming he quite likes his players fighting each other.
Moyes was speaking after Idrissa Gueye was given a straight red card for slapping teammate Michael Keane during his side's 1-0 win at Manchester United on Monday.
Gueye was shown his marching orders in the 13th minute following a tussle with Keane. The midfielder seemed displeased with centre-back Keane after a miscommunication resulted in him losing the ball in his own half.
Following a heated exchange of words, the pair clashed inside the box, leading to Gueye raising his right arm and appearing to slap Keane on the side of his face. As soon as Gueye made contact with Keane's cheek, Harrington did not hesitate to issue a red card.
In his post-match interview, Everton manager Moyes shared his thoughts on Gueye's red card and admitted he enjoyed seeing his players clashing and fighting against one another.
When questioned about his views on the incident, Moyes told Sky Sports: "No we don't and I'm surprised. I think if nothing happened, I don't think anybody in the stadium would have been surprised. I thought the referee could have maybe taken a bit longer to think about it. Just gone over, sorted it and had a think about it.
"I'm told the rules of the game mean that if you slap your own player or you lift an arm in some way, you could be in trouble. But you know, there's another side of it, I quite like my players fighting each other and getting annoyed with each other because of a bad ball or somebody didn't do the right action.
"I think that's part of it. If you want a winning team and the resilience and toughness which got us the result, then I think you need players who are going to act that way. I'm disappointed we got the sending off but we've all been footballers and the ones who have been will tell you quite often you'll get angry with your teammates.
Jordan Pickford and Idrissa Gueye clash during Everton's clash with Manchester United
Jordan Pickford and Idrissa Gueye clash during Everton's clash with Manchester United
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"He's apologised in the dressing room for the sending off. He's praised the players incredibly for their performance tonight and thanked them for it. As I said, he's apologised for what happened."
Gueye later took to social media to make a public apology to his team and fans, insisting that nothing can justify his actions - and that it will not happen again.
"I want to apologise first to my team-mate Michael Keane. I take full responsibility for my reaction. I also apologise to my team-mates, the staff, the fans and the club," he said on his Instagram story.
"What happened does not reflect who I am or the values I stand for. Emotions run high but nothing justifies such behaviour. I'll make sure it never happens again."
Offering his thoughts on Gueye's dismissal, match-winner Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall added: "It was just a moment of madness. It was obviously avoidable. All I can say is Idrissa apologised to us all at half-time and said his piece. That's all he can do and we move on from it.
"The reaction from the lads after it was unbelievable, top tier. We could've easily crumbled, gone in on ourselves and lost the game comfortably, but it probably made us grow even more as a team.
"The manager just said he would deal with the situation another time and it was just about keeping to the plan that we had. He just wanted us to continue what we were doing and focus on the things we can change."
Despite being a man down, Everton put on an impressive display to secure a 1-0 victory over United, with Dewsbury-Hall netting the crucial goal for Moyes' team just before the half-hour mark. The Toffees demonstrated remarkable resilience and fortitude across the pitch to clinch a valuable win.
They now host Eddie Howe's Newcastle on Saturday night. The Magpies are looking to record their first away Premier League win since April and record back-to-back top-flight victories after beating Manchester City.
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