Idrissa Gueye was shown a red card for slapping his Everton teammate Michael Keane in the first half of the Premier League clash against Manchester United
Jack Grealish was over the moon after the full-time whistle at Old Trafford.
View 2 Images
Everton's Jack Grealish playfully slapped his teammate Michael Keane on the face after the full-time whistle following their triumphant victory over Manchester United. This was the second time Keane was slapped on the night, with the first incident involving his own teammate, Idrissa Gueye, who was sent off for hitting the England international in a peculiar first-half incident.
The two players had a heated argument just 13 minutes into the Premier League match at Old Trafford and had to be separated by Jordan Pickford.
Gueye was visibly upset after Keane expressed his displeasure following some sloppy play that led to a United attack.
However, when the ball was out of play, the Everton pair clashed within their own penalty area, with the Senegalese international seemingly slapping Keane across the face.
Despite being reduced to 10 men, Everton secured all three points thanks to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's superb strike just before the half-hour mark.
David Moyes' team had to show resilience and their goalkeeper, Pickford, made several crucial saves to ensure they took home all three points.
Everton made Premier League history by becoming the first team to win at Old Trafford with 10 men, with supporters remaining in the stadium to cheer long after the final whistle.
The Toffees' players were ecstatic with the result as they celebrated in front of the travelling Everton fans. During the celebrations, Grealish was spotted playfully slapped Keane on the face, a gesture that the Everton defender took in good humour after securing all three points.
Jack Grealish playfully slaps Michael Keane after win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
View 2 Images
Post-match, Moyes disclosed that Gueye had expressed his apologies to his teammates in the dressing room. Speaking to Sky Sports, the Everton manager said: "If nothing happened, I don't think anyone in the stadium would have been surprised.
"I thought the referee could have taken a bit longer to think about it.
"I got told that the rules of the game that if you slap your own player, you could be in trouble. But there's another side to it: I like my players fighting each other if someone didn't do the right action.
"If you want that toughness and resilience to get a result, you want someone to act on it. I'm disappointed we get the sending off.
"But we've all been footballers, we get angry with our teammates.
"He's apologised for the sending off, he's praised the players and thanked them for it and apologised for what happened."