Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye has etched his name into Premier League folklore for all the wrong reasons, becoming just the fourth player in the competition's history to be sent off for an altercation with his own teammate.
The extraordinary incident occurred during Monday night's Premier League clash between Manchester United and Everton at Old Trafford. The match was just 13 minutes old when a heated disagreement between Gueye and defender Michael Keane turned physical.
A Moment of Madness at Old Trafford
What began as a verbal argument quickly escalated. After Keane shoved the Senegalese midfielder away, Gueye responded by slapping his fellow Everton player in the face. While the contact was not severe, referee John Brooks had no hesitation in producing a red card.
Gueye had to be dragged away from the situation by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, leaving his side to play the remaining 77 minutes with only ten men. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Everton remarkably held on to secure a 1-0 victory, a result that saw Manchester United booed off their own pitch.
A Notoriously Exclusive Club
This act of 'friendly fire' is an exceptionally rare event in the English top flight. As confirmed by Sky Sports analysis, Gueye's dismissal is only the fourth of its kind, with two of the previous instances stemming from the same infamous on-pitch brawl.
The most notorious example remains the fight between Newcastle United's Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer in 2005. During a match against Aston Villa, Bowyer became enraged, believing Dyer was refusing to pass to him. The ensuing fistfight led to both players being shown red cards.
Speaking in 2020, Dyer recalled manager Graeme Souness's reaction: 'He came in [after the game] and said "I'm going to fight the pair of you. I'm going to watch it back then fight the pair of you".' Dyer also noted that the fight is often more memorable to fans than any of his on-pitch performances.
Other Members of an Unwanted Group
The third player to receive this unusual red card was Stoke City's Ricardo Fuller in December 2008. After West Ham equalised against his team, the volatile striker walked back to confront captain Andy Griffin for his role in the conceded goal and subsequently hit the defender in the face.
Manager Tony Pulis later commented, 'Rick is a very volatile person and I can't condone what he did. I've watched the incident on TV and he walks up and clips him on the chin.'
Gueye's moment of ill-discipline now places him alongside Bowyer, Dyer, and Fuller in a unique and undesirable segment of the Premier League record books, a stark reminder of how quickly passion on the pitch can spiral into self-destruction.
