Published: November 26, 2025
Idrissa Gana Gueye was shown a red card for an incredible incident in which he slapped Michael Keane in the face during Monday’s Premier League game between Everton and Manchester United at Old Trafford, which the Toffees ended up winning 1-0 despite being down a player for over 77 minutes.
Referee Tony Harrington didn’t have a choice but to send Gueye off and after apologizing to his teammates following the game at Old Trafford, Gueye has now taken to social media to apologize again.
“I want to apologize first to my teammate Michael. I take full responsibility for my reaction. I also apologize to my teammates, the staff, the fans and the club. What happened does not reflect who I am or the values I stand for. Emotions can run high, but nothing justifies such behavior. I’ll make sure it never happens again.” The game was not even a quarter-hour old and Everton had already been forced into a substitution when Seamus Coleman suffered an injury requiring the introduction of Jake O’Brien. Man United had the better of play and some poor communication between the Toffees allowed a Bryan Mbeumo penalty shout and then a dangerous shot from Bruno Fernandes.
Something in that sequence enraged Gueye, who approached a perturbed Michael Keane with vigor. Keane shoved Gueye back up field, and that found a new boiling point as Gueye used his left hand to slap Keane in the jaw.
Gueye was held back from reaching either Keane or the referee by Iliman Ndiaye and Jordan Pickford. It isn’t quite Newcastle United’s Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer exchanging blows and being separated by Aston Villa players, but it’s familiar enough. Now the midfielder will miss three games.
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