Everton visited Old Trafford to face Manchester United on Monday in the final match of Premier League Matchday 12. Controversy erupted in the opening minutes, as Toffees midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye ended up receiving a red card after slapping his own teammate, Michael Keane.
Looking to climb out of the lower part of the table, Everton were hoping to take advantage of a United side that had already created several chances. One of those opportunities came in the 13th minute, when Gueye lost the ball in his own box trying to play a pass to Keane, sparking a shot from United’s Bruno Fernandes that went just over the crossbar.
Moments later, the incident that defined the match unfolded. Frustrated with defensive organization and assignments, Gueye confronted Keane in a heated exchange that escalated to the Senegalese midfielder slapping the defender with his left hand. Referee Tony Harrington saw the altercation and immediately issued a straight red card, leaving Everton down to 10 men just 13 minutes into the game.
As soon as Harrington showed the red card, Keane continued arguing with Gueye, pointing a finger toward his own head while the midfielder was held back by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. Iliman Ndiaye stepped in to defuse the situation and guided Gueye toward the locker room so the match could resume, wrapping up one of the most bizarre moments of the 2025-26 Premier League season.
In fact, the incident quickly became notable, as Gueye has turned into the first player to be sent off for fighting with a teammate since 2008. That December, with Stoke City battling relegation, Ricardo Fuller clashed with teammate Andy Griffin during a match against West Ham. The Jamaican striker also slapped his teammate in the face, and referee Mike Jones issued a straight red card, much like Gueye’s case on Monday.
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Other iconic fights between teammates in English soccer
Interestingly, clashes between teammates have surfaced multiple times in English soccer. One memorable incident occurred in the Carling Cup during a North London derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, when Emmanuel Adebayor and Nicklas Bendtner became involved in a physical confrontation that included shoves, swings, and even a headbutt, an altercation that reportedly left the Danish striker with a nosebleed.
But one of the most iconic moments came in April 2005 during a match between Newcastle United and Aston Villa. With the Magpies already reduced to 10 men, Lee Bowyer confronted Kieron Dyer for not passing him the ball, and the argument quickly escalated into a full-on fight between the two teammates.
In a scuffle so chaotic that even Aston Villa players stepped in to break it up, both players were sent off, Bowyer received a seven-match ban, and the pair were forced to issue public apologies.
